12 Days of Whatmas?
by Author M. Austin
Summary: Semi-AU (No Hunger Games). When impractical gifts from Katniss's true love start appearing on her doorstep, Prim's gushing, their mother is talking about weddings and Katniss herself is faintly bemused. What even is Christmas? All she wants is to find enough food for the winter, but with the help of a certain blond baker's son, she finds something far more exciting than that.
1. And a partridge in a pear tree

A silly little idea appeared two years ago in my mind cinema. More recently, I realised that it suited the Hunger Games universe rather well. The result of this realisation is hopefully of some use to somebody.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hunger Games. I'm just another avid spectator.

**Warnings**: Infrequent swearing, animal deaths(?), an author who is writing this as she goes along.

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><p><strong>And a partridge in a pear tree<strong>

As beautiful as the snowfall looked blanketing the forest, Katniss didn't have the distinctly Capitol luxury of admiring it. Sure, it glimmered like diamonds as it fell, at least she imagined it did, but like any token from the affluent city, it was excessive, clinical and ultimately useless. It hindered her long-practised tread, masked the animal tracks and came close to blinding her. If only it had stopped yesterday, or the day before that. A light blanket was a hunter's dream, but these constant snowstorms were hardly conducive to finding food. And she needed to find food now that Gale was in the mines. She had vowed to support his family as faithfully as she did her own. _A promise easily made_, she grumbled to herself as she waded her way out of the woods with nothing but an unfortunate rabbit to her name.

_If the weather continues like this, what will I do?_ A growing fear from her past was clawing its way back into her heart. Memories from that dreadful time following her father's death where sustenance and hope had both been rare.

_I'll return in the afternoon,_ she vowed to herself. Surely the snow will let up by then. This had been her thought yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that.

She quickly stopped at her house, avoiding her mother's enquiring looks, shedding her bow and arrows and collecting books and schoolbags in their stead. Then she went to her and Prim's shared room and knocked. 'School.'

A feeble croak was her sister's answer.

'Prim, are you still in bed?'

'…No.'

'You know I can hear right through you.'

'That's not a thing,' Prim shot back with incredible certainty.

'Get out of bed, Prim.'

'I am!' Now she sounded almost affronted.

'Really?' Katniss replied, turning the handle.

They was a squeak, a creak and a thump, and Katniss opened the door to find her sister on the floor, miserably trying to extract herself from her bed sheets. 'Five minutes,' Katniss informed her with subtle amusement.

Prim squeaked again, and suddenly escaping her blanket's grasp was a whole lot easier than before. After wasting an unfeasible amount of time on selecting an outfit from her rather homogenous lineup of simple dresses, she seemed to remember her need to hurry and dashed past Katniss, entering the bathroom with a slam.

Katniss checked the clock. 'Two minutes,' she called out.

Prim squeaked for the third time.

…

Most parts of District Twelve were as old as the dirt that powdered the slush, churned into it by myriad boots until the snow no longer resembled the pretty white flakes it had descended as. Still, Katniss preferred the sight of the ugly slush, and only wished that the clouds responsible for the meagre snowfall here on the main street would migrate over to her forest so she could _finally_ get some hunting done. As Prim and Katniss waded up the briefly cleared road, the scenery slowly began to change: the ramshackle, wooden huts that Katniss had known for years receding before the unspoken border between the Seam, her home, and the richer merchant quarters. Straddling the two disconnected worlds was District Twelve's only high school, the one place where dark-haired Seam kids and blond merchant progeny mixed. Although mixed was a very loose word for the rigid cliques and latent snobbery that went on inside its walls.

'Oh look, darling, natives!'

Katniss and Prim slowly turned to observe the speaker and their "darling". She was one of the cluster of Capitol invaders that stood a few feet away, clutching cameras, sporting state-of-the-art yet bizarre winter wear, looking perversely bright against the brownish-white backdrop of District Twelve. Unfortunately for Katniss, this sight was becoming old as dirt to her as well, not to mention the picture-perfect collection of pearlescent buildings that loomed conspicuously on a hill above the low skyline. Victors' Village, they called it, a high-end, residential complex that housed all the Capitol folk who came here as part of the "Panem Tour". The privileged denizens could travel to each of the twelve districts and experience the supposed lifestyle and culture there, all in complete comfort of course.

The latest batch of Capitol citizens were busy snapping away as Katniss and Prim cast uneasy glances at each other. The sisters were pretty late to school, which meant that they were the only students around and likely prey for this group of cooing, ridiculous tourists.

'Aren't they charming?'

'Do they speak Panemian, Cato?'

'That's not a thing,' Prim whispered at Katniss, who nodded wholeheartedly.

'Can they understand us?'

The tour guide, a towering, brutish boy whose continued presence had come to annoy Katniss as much as the Capitol tourists, responded with the same irreverent smirk as usual. 'Of course, they should be able to understand us perfectly. They are quite far out in Panem, but they haven't lost all sense of civility.'

Katniss was impressed that he knew what civility meant, let alone that he could use it in a sentence.

'Hello!' a lady with numerous silver rings perforating her pile of green hair, and indeed her dyed-blue skin, called to them, 'people of District Twelve.'

'Quickly, do the greeting, Petronia!'

'Oh yes!'

Katniss and Prim grimaced as a patchy attempt at the District Twelve funeral gesture was sent their way: some of the Capitolites hitting each other as they pressed three fingers to their bee-stung lips and held them aloft.

Cato was clearly enjoying the show in a way only a district-born national could. Katniss was pretty certain that he was from Two, the region closest to the Capitol both geographically and sentimentally. He had the look of someone who had never faced death in the struggle to feed himself: tall and sturdily built. District Two was the main producer of Panem's Peacekeepers, the president's law enforcers, so it was no wonder that they were all well-fed. What Katniss didn't understand is why they had branched out into tour guiding.

'Cato, you were telling us about the adorable little caste system they have here,' Petronia was saying.

Adorable? Katniss frowned.

Cato laughed. 'I wouldn't say caste system, but as you have seen, there are two parts to Twelve. There's the Seam, where you had fun looking at the mines, which is poorer than the merchant quarters, where you did all that shopping.'

'There was hardly a difference,' one of the fatter Capitolites declared.

'Perhaps to you, sir, but these people feel the difference a bit more…keenly. Have you noticed how everyone in the merchant area tends to have blond hair and blue eyes while everyone in the Seam has dark hair, gray eyes and tan skin? They all marry within their groups, and those two groups rarely interact.'

'So are those two girls hostile enemies?' someone asked, wringing her hands in excitement.

'She's my sister, actually,' Katniss said. 'And as nice as it was to be the subject of your photos, we have our own lives to be getting on with. Native rituals, some chanting around the fire, probably in the nude.'

'Goodbye,' Prim called chirpily, charming the Capitol folk enough that they took yet more pictures.

To Katniss's chagrin, Cato turned that wayward leer on her and pursed his lips into something like a kiss. Her stomach turned. Then Cato himself turned and herded his gaggle of tourists away, grinning over his shoulder.

'We won't be spending much longer here, I hope, Cato?' one of the gentlemen asked. 'All the smog is getting to my lungs.'

'And this isn't exactly one of the more _interesting_ districts.'

'You're right there, ma'am,' Cato laughed.

Prim and Katniss watched them disappear.

'Come on, let's get to school.'

…

Apart from a minor scolding from her lackadaisical Panem History teacher, Katniss's day was more or less the same as any other. She sat at the back of each class, sometimes next to Madge if the equally withdrawn mayor's daughter was in her lesson. Lunchtime was like a study of Twelve's social dynamics. There were tables full of Seam kids, carefully divided. There were the academics, who could only aim to become teachers, the popular lot that was always hanging about the slag heap, the rebels, who thinly veiled their hatred for the Capitol, the sloths who saw their inescapable future in the mines as an excuse to laze around. The merchant teens had a similar setup, a hierarchy of populars to pariahs. And there was someone in the midst of the most social group of blond heads that never failed to catch Katniss's discerning eye. He was the one that drew hilarity and rapt attention with his broad hand gestures and colourful stories. Peeta Mellark, the boy with the bread.

Katniss couldn't claim to know him personally, but their lives were irreversibly bound by the fact that Peeta had once saved her life when they were both eleven years old. In those dark days after her father had been killed in a mining accident, her mother had withdrawn herself from the world, living in a self-imposed coma, leaving Katniss as the sole breadwinner for the household. The bread was never won, however. It was given, in the rain, when the youngest baker's son had seen the shivering, starving Katniss poking around in the bins and purposefully burnt two loaves. His mother had railed at him and, Katniss discovered later, beaten him, but the two slightly charred loaves that seemed destined for the pigs ended up in her hands instead. To this day, she didn't think Peeta knew the large impact his little sacrifice had made.

'Looking at anyone in particular?' Madge asked as she came to sit beside Katniss.

'No,' Katniss answered abruptly, a touch too abruptly judging by the knowing arch of Madge's brow. Still, the blonde girl said nothing of it. This was one of the main qualities that Katniss valued in her only school friend.

The two unlikely companions, exceptions to the school status quo, went on to have their lunch in comfortable silence. What they were unaware of, since their eyes were fixed to their plates, was that between all of his jokes and anecdotes, Peeta found time to watch Katniss too.

…

The forest was yet again disappointing, and Katniss returned to the house in a dormant rage. Her feet were unnecessarily brutal as she kicked them against the doorpost to dislodge snow from her boots. Damn snow. It had never meant anything good for her district, whether it was falling for sky or sitting in the presidential office.

Her mother instinctively knew not to ask as she marched past, turning her problems over in her mind until she could somehow stretch herself to a solution. If she halved the rabbit from earlier and shared it between the Everdeens and the Hawthornes, that would leave little enough for anyone. And with Gale exhausted from the mines, two growing brothers and a baby sister, they would need all the food they could get. The Hawthornes could have the whole rabbit then. The Everdeens had some food stores. They weren't completely out. Still, a rabbit was not enough for that family. What if she pawned the rabbit off? How much could she get? Greasy Sae was always looking for meat for her soups. Perhaps–

The door knocked.

'Mom, the door,' Katniss said when no-one had stirred for a while.

'I'm doing something,' she replied.

And Prim was upstairs, studying. With a huff, Katniss went to the door, the tenuous plans she had been forming now in complete disarray. Who could it be, anyway? The only person who visited was Gale, and he wasn't off for another few hours.

Katniss tried to soften her scowl, as her mother often told her to do, before she opened the door. She had no idea if she was successful.

'Hi,' she said as she opened the door, but that was as far as she got.

She was standing face to face with a potted plant. More specifically, a tree. Even more specifically, a tree hung with copious, succulent pears. Her stomach growled. She took one in her hand. It seemed real enough. Only she had never seen one this size before, with this subtle sheen. Tied to the trunk of the tree with a red ribbon was a tag. Squatting, Katniss examined it.

"Merry Christmas," it said, "from your true love."

Due to Katniss's nature, she completely disregarded on the second half of the message. 'Merry Chri- Cry-, Merry Whatnow?'

As if this incident wasn't outlandish enough, a bird flew out of the tree, over her head and into the house. Moments later, Katniss heard shrieks from the kitchen and the sounds of pots and pans and other unidentifiable things crashing to the floor. She sat there on her haunches for a while, listening to sound of destruction with a blank expression, before taking a pear from the tree and having a bite. At least the fruit was good.

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><p>Thank you for reading. This should be updated daily. Should is a wonderfully ambiguous word, isn't it?<p> 


	2. Two turtle doves

**AN: **So...the site replaced the cover picture with my author picture for some reason. This highly perplexing development that had me laughing nervously.

**Warning: **a case of unsavoury language in this chapter

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><p><strong>Two turtle doves<strong>

It had been a while since Katniss had woken up so warm and satiated. Those fine pears had sold well enough at the black market that they were stocked in essentials for the next few days. And that evening, the Everdeens and Hawthornes had feasted together on roasted rabbit, that bird thing and a pear sauce that her mother had experimentally made.

There were even some pears left over for this morning, although Katniss was becoming slightly sick at the sight of them, and she had referred to them so often in her mind that "pear" had ceased being a legitimate word.

'That was a wonderful surprise yesterday,' Katniss's mother sighed, 'after the horrible surprise of having your kitchen wrecked by an odd-looking bird, of course.'

'Yeah,' was Katniss's comment as she started her perplexing breakfast of poached pear on tough, grainy bread.

Katniss's mother eyed her eldest daughter. This was an unusually perky response from her so early in the morning. Had the whole pear tree event put her in that much of a good mood?

'Aren't you curious though?' Prim asked.

'About what?'

'About who sent you these.'

'Why would I be?'

'Because they're claiming to be your _true love_.'

Katniss blinked. 'It's just a joke, isn't it? They probably just dropped the tree off to inconvenience us, which backfired since we just ate it.'

Prim gaped, appalled by the sister she had once viewed with nothing but respect. 'Are you being serious? Why would anyone do that? Who decides the best way to annoy someone is leaving a fruit tree on their doorstep?'

'Well, what's your explanation?'

'They're being serious?'

'Serious about what?' Katniss was getting impatient. How could she eat her questionable breakfast when Prim expected her to reply to her fanciful whims?

'Being your true love. They're trying to woo you with gifts!' Prim chirruped excitedly.

'"Woo" me?' Katniss asked flatly. 'You're watching too many Capitol dating shows, Prim.'

'They're the only thing on! But now they're helping us out because we can decipher what's going on here. Someone's done a Capitol and given you extravagant gifts.'

They looked to the pear tree that had been thrust into the corner of the room. With most of the pears wrested from its branches, it looked anything but extravagant. More bedraggled.

'I still think it's a joke,' Katniss declared. 'People don't woo me, they avoid me in corridors. What makes you think that anyone would like me enough to send me anything?'

'Because you're really pretty,' Prim said, beaming.

Katniss felt her mood deflating with every new ludicrous piece of information Prim imparted.

'…Gale thinks you're pretty.'

Wolfing down the rest of her pear, Katniss bolted from the room. 'School in ten.'

Prim squeaked and finally began to eat her own breakfast.

'That girl,' their mother sighed. 'One day the man of her dreams will give her his heart, and she'll probably mistake it for a declaration of war.'

…

'That Cato guy is walking towards us,' Prim hissed as they hurried to school.

'Just keep moving.'

'He's looking at you.'

'Move faster.'

'Katniss!'

'He's calling you!'

'I can hear, Prim.'

'How does he know your name?'

'Seems we're about to find out.'

'You're about to find out. I'm going to school on time for once.'

'You're leaving me with him?'

'I don't like him. He scares me.'

'What about me, your own sister? Won't you even stay for moral support?'

'Bye Katniss!'

Prim ran off, quick as the aggravating squirrels that managed to avoid Katniss's arrows. Cato was pretty quick as well, and he caught up in the split second Katniss had paused for as she glanced mournfully after her sister.

'Hey,' Cato said, grinning.

Katniss had to crane her neck to look up at him. He had on his usual leer, the one that said just how well-received he had been by the other District Twelve girls. She supposed he was attractive, in an aggressive way that warded her off instead of drawing her in. What she didn't know is that many would say the same thing about her.

'Where's your rainbow posse?' she asked.

'Off to District Eleven and warmer climates.'

'How come you're not going with them?'

'That eager to see the back of me, are you?' Was she really that transparent? 'The guides stay put in their districts, swot up on the facts, know the place inside out, and then the Capitol people cycle through. My job's pretty easy compared to the others, considering this is the smallest, crappiest district, no offence.'

'None taken,' Katniss shrugged. She wasn't particularly attached to the place herself, but her people did the best with it that they could. 'How long are you staying here for?'

'Why do all of your questions have something to do with me leaving?'

'Nothing personal, I'm just genuinely curious about how long we're going to get Capitol peacocks strutting through our streets and taking pictures of every mundane thing we do like it's some lost, clannish ritual.

Cato smirked his amusement. 'You don't have long to go. This tour wraps up at the end of the winter season. I've only got a couple more months of rotting in this flea-bitten hellhole. Again, no offence.'

'There's a limit,' Katniss ground out. 'How long does each Capitol party stay here?'

'Three days. My next bunch are getting in for this afternoon. If you ask me, it's too long. There's not much to do here. I'm starting to get bored.'

'Was that the same sob story you told those other girls?'

'Oh, so you heard about that?' Cato asked, trying for a debonair grin. 'Yeah, I guess, but I'm sensing that it's not working so well on you. That's all right. I'm done with those vanilla girls. I like my women with a bit more fire.'

This was an excellent cue to leave.

'Well, good luck with that,' Katniss murmured, barely holding onto her poached pear breakfast. 'I've got school, so…'

'Yeah,' Cato straightened, which Katniss was grateful for, as he had been leaning so far over her that he'd threatened to topple and crush her. 'You go. Talk to you later, fire girl. I get off at eight. Come find me if you feel like escaping from this sad little shit pit for a while, no offence.'

'Sure,' she muttered flippantly as she walked away.

Katniss knew she would pass before he'd even proposed the idea. The only thing she wanted to "find" this evening was something to shoot for dinner.

…

Between Prim's speculations, Cato's advances and the persistently awful weather in the forest, Katniss's bright mood was all but forgotten. She was prepared to sink onto her bed, winter coat, hunting gear and all, when Prim intercepted her on the stairs.

'Do you think there could be another gift today?'

Katniss barely stopped herself from scowling at her, which was better than most people could expect. 'Why would there be another gift, if that was even meant as a gift yesterday.'

'Of course it was meant as a gift! That's how wooing goes. You get a gift, then you get another slightly better one, then another even better one–'

'It's winter, and food, resources, everything is running low. Do you think anyone could actually afford to do that?'

'Well,' the first signs of doubt crept across Prim's face, 'maybe not.'

'We'll just stay put, be thankful for the tree and the strange bird thing, and carry on with our lives.'

The door knocked.

And Prim squealed. 'Hurry, go see who it is!'

'No, I think I'll just stay here and drip snow on the carpet,' Katniss grumbled, even as she walked to the door.

'Look presentable, dear,' Katniss's mother said from her leaning position against the kitchen door. 'At least take the bow and arrow off before you answer the door.'

'Because I need to look so presentable for a potted plant,' Katniss griped.

But this time, it wasn't a potted plant; Peeta Mellark was standing on her front step. _Peeta Mellark_. Her… the boy with the bread. There was a box in his hands, bearing a label with "to my true love" carefully penned. So it was Peeta who had given her that pear tree, who had restored her hope for the future once again. Why was he always helping her? They had never spoken, and yet Katniss owed him her life, her family's life. And what would possess him to declare himself as her true love? The brashness of the move surely suited the behaviour of some meathead like Cato more. Though – Katniss took Peeta in – she supposed Peeta would be preferable. He was fairly tall, not in the overwhelming way that Cato was, his smile was open and warming, and even through his coat, Katniss could tell he was just as well-built as the giant from District Two. Katniss cleared her throat and shook her head, suddenly becoming aware of her mother and Prim whispering frantically on the other side of the door.

Wordlessly, she stepped through and shut them inside.

Peeta's smile had a rictal quality to it now, seemingly frozen on his face within the time Katniss had been staring contemplatively at him.

'Hi,' he said, a cloud of steam engulfing his face.

'You're my true love?' Katniss blurted out before she could stop herself. She slowly lifted her bow, assuming a combative stance.

Peeta's cheeks were already pink, but he somehow managed to flush redder. 'What? No, _no!_ Sorry, about the mix up. I'm not the one sending you these, well I am – I mean, I drop them off at the door, but they're not _from_ me. I'm just the delivery boy.'

Katniss thought she remembered Peeta being far more articulate than that. She lowered her bow, and the house light gleaming along its polished wood drew his eyes to the movement.

'Were you going to _shoot_ me? Don't shoot the messenger!'

'Delivery boy, messenger, what are you talking about? What's a delivery boy?'

'It's an ancient tradition. Like pre-Panem ancient. People would send a loved one gifts, and delivery boys would, well, deliver them, like this.'

'So you're not my true love?' Katniss said.

'No… Sorry?'

Katniss needed to go away and ponder whether or not the apology was warranted. 'That's fine. So, who is it then?'

'The identity of my employer is classified until the giving of gifts is over.'

'But why?'

'I suppose my employer wants a grand unveiling once you are suitably wooed.'

'Damn wooing,' Katniss mumbled. 'Could you at least tell me if he…or she…lives in District Twelve.'

'Sorry, I can't. As much as I want to help you, Katniss, I don't want to jeopardise my job. I kind of like it, you know. I get a cap and everything.'

'Lucky for some.' Katniss supposed that it was a pretty nice cap, sky blue with a silver badge. Katniss voiced these thoughts.

'Yeah, my employer reckons it brings out my eyes,' he said cheerfully.

Again, Peeta was right, though his irises were such a brilliant cerulean that they could manage with a little less bringing out. Katniss didn't want to be blinded just yet.

'Here,' he thrust the box in her arms, 'and I'm going to need you to sign this.' He extracted a folded sheet of paper from his coat pocket and flattened it on the box. 'You were meant to sign it yesterday as well, but I forgot.'

'What is it for?'

'It's to confirm that you got the packages all right.'

'Can't your employer just take your word for it?'

'Do you want me to lose my job?'

Sighing, Katniss took the pen that and signed by today's date and yesterday's.

'Thank you, Miss Everdeen. It was a pleasure delivering to you.'

'Yeah.'

Peeta set about wading a path back into the street. 'See you at school, I guess. And Merry Christmas.'

'What's Christmas?'

'No idea.'

It took him quite a while to stride out of sight, but Katniss watched him do it all the same. Then she opened the box. Inside were two turtle doves, cooing sweetly up at her. Smiling softly and opening the front door, she wondered how best to cook them.

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><p>Thanks for reading!<p> 


	3. Three French hens

The most bizarre one yet. Nevertheless, please enjoy.

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><p><strong>Three French Hens<strong>

'So it definitely wasn't Peeta?'

'Yes.'

'You're really sure?'

'He said he was just the delivery boy.'

'Maybe he was lying. You said he wouldn't reveal the employer's identity. What if it's because the employer has no identity, because he's not real?'

'Why would Peeta lie? Actually, why does it matter so much?'

'Me and my friends discussed this carefully,' Prim explained eagerly. 'He is _definitely_ the cutest guy in your year.'

Katniss choked on her dubious pear pancake. Yes, they were still eating pears. Really, that tree could hold a lot more fruit than they initially gave it credit for.

'Your friends are too young to discuss that sort of thing carefully!'

'We're thirteen, Katniss. We know beauty when we see it.'

This was her baby sister, her little duck, speaking!

'Come on, Katniss. Don't you want to date the cutest guy in your year? You don't see shoulders like that every day.'

'You did _not_ just talk about his shoulders.'

'I wouldn't be too horrified, Kat. Some of my friends' observations didn't stop at shoulders.'

'Please, I'm eating.' Katniss shovelled a large amount of pancake in her mouth to prove this.

'Aren't you at least a bit interested in who it could be?'

Their morning conversations were getting so repetitive. 'I think I've got bigger problems to face than that.'

'You're so annoying!' Prim proclaimed. 'So I'm leaving.'

Katniss watched her storm out of the room with a rare smile on her face, noting fondly how the back of Prim's top had come untucked from her pleated skirt. 'Tuck your tail in, little duck.'

With a mild curse, Prim did just that, and left before her righteous dignity could take another hit.

…

Cato found her on the way to school. Prim conveniently lost herself in the swarm of voyaging schoolkids at around the same time.

'So, didn't see you around yesterday,' Cato said in a subdued tone that was slightly guilt-inducing.

'No,' Katniss replied, because she didn't have anything else in her repertoire that wasn't awkward or inflammatory.

'Playing hard to get, are you? I like that in a girl.'

And all of a sudden, the hatchling guilt fled, or died, or was eaten by two half-starved Seam families.

'Where are your new Capitol bunch?'

'Still sleeping. All the kooky dorks do is sleep and eat. They can lie in all day because they know they'll still get their three-course breakfast, hot beverage, manicure, foot rub, and whatever else the slackers so desire. This afternoon, I get to take them down the mines. That's always funny.'

'You know, the miners don't actually like it when Capitol people come to visit.'

'I didn't come up with the itinerary,' said Cato, raising his hands in protest, 'I just follow it and watch our dear guests wreak havoc.'

Katniss doubted that the miners would find this as amusing as he did. 'Well, I've got school again, bye.'

'Funny how you've always got school whenever we talk.'

'Funny how you always track me down at the same time each damn morning,' she retorted as she marched off.

Against her better judgement, she looked back over her shoulder and saw that he was stationary amongst the crowd, watching her go. Could Cato be the man who masqueraded as her true love, Peeta's enigmatic employer? Despite the scorn Cato held for the decadent Capitol lifestyle, residents of District Two were pretty wealthy themselves. Three birds and a pear tree should be well within Cato's means. Did Katniss want Cato to be her mysterious benefactor? That was the true question. Being indebted to Cato was a world away from owing someone like her humble, honourable boy with the bread. There was a hunter lurking somewhere behind Cato's smugly vacant façade, and Katniss very much wanted to remain on the right side of the arrow. But the more gifts he gave her, the more indebted she would be. And when he revealed himself at the end, he could demand anything he wanted from her, anything that he felt equated the price of the whole "wooing" process.

God, she hoped it wasn't Cato.

…

Prim and Katniss sat side by side on the stairs, waiting for the knock.

'You should wear a pretty dress,' Prim told her.

'Who decided that you could sit here with me?'

'You can borrow one of mine if you like.'

As if Katniss needed another reminder that at thirteen, Prim was close to exceeding her seventeen-year-old sister's height.

'In three feet of snow, are you kidding?'

'You don't have to go out there. You just have to wait at the door and look nice.'

'For the delivery boy?'

'I tell you, he's lying.'

The knock they were waiting for sounded through their negligible hallway.

'It's him!' Prim cheered.

'I have ears.'

Mrs Everdeen came out of the kitchen to observe, stirring one of her latest medicinal concoctions in a bowl. Katniss caught a sniff of sage and chamomile on the way to the door.

'I remember when your father proposed to me. It was a lot like this. I waited in the hallway with my friends in my prettiest dress–'

Katniss opened the front door with a pointed slam. This time it wasn't a potted plant, nor was it Peeta Mellark. 'Gale,' she said.

'Hey, Catnip,' her oldest friend replied, lumbering into the house.

When Katniss shut the door and turned to face her family, Mrs Everdeen was smiling just as beatifically as before, but Prim was pouting.

'What brings you here so early? Shouldn't you still be at work?'

Katniss followed Gale through into the living room where he collapsed unceremoniously on the nearest comfortable surface, her father's battered, old armchair that no-one could bring themselves to throw out. 'You sound like at adulterous wife,' Gale murmured, resting his head on the armrest. 'They let me off early.'

'Why, what happened?'

Gale levelled an impressive, grey-eyed glare on her, but she knew him well enough to sense that his anger wasn't directed at her. 'The damn Capitolites, that's what happened.'

Katniss understood immediately. The multi-coloured trespassers were a hindrance to everyone in Twelve. They also had the uncanny ability to pervade the entire district. No matter where she went, she was up to her eyes in them. She had even found one on the other side of the fence that had kept most of Twelve's residents out of her woods, though she had righted that quickly.

'It started off innocent enough,' Gale said. 'They had cameras and kept taking pictures of us working. A couple kept asking me to smile,' Katniss snorted at this, 'and flash them my guns. Not really sure what that meant, but if they wanted me to shoot them, I'd have had no problem with that. One of the bright sparks had a bit of technology, a diamond detector, she called it. Of course we told her that we didn't mine diamonds, just coal, but she told us, all matter-of-fact, that diamonds came from coal. Pearls too, she reckoned.'

'So then what?'

'She used the thing, that blond tour guide jerk was egging her on the whole time, and whatever it did caused a cave-in. They had to evacuate.'

Katniss tensed up, bolted upright in her seat. 'No-one got hurt?'

The anger bled from him once he saw the aberrant look of horror on Katniss's face. 'No, don't worry. No-one was hurt this time.' This time. They shuddered to think of last time, when neither of their fathers had been so lucky. 'But I didn't come here to talk about that. I want to talk with you about those gifts at the door.'

'Gale,' Katniss breathed, trying not to betray the speed with which her thoughts were racing. Was it him, Gale, who had been giving them to her? But he was a popular guy: tall, dark and brooding, the girls said. Why would he waste gifts on his hostile, temperamental friend who was more of a little sister to him than anything. Unless she wasn't. _Gale thinks you're pretty_, Prim had said. Katniss had just assumed that Prim had been teasing–

'I don't think you should accept them anymore.'

'Wait, why not? They're keeping us fed.' So he wasn't. Katniss's disquiet lifted so suddenly it left her giddy.

'They've got the stink of the Capitol all over them.'

'Didn't stop you eating them.'

'I mean it, Katniss. People who send you live birds just for the spectacle of it aren't the sort of people you want to get mixed up with. They aren't real people; they don't live in the real world. You see them wandering about Twelve, completely clueless. They're like babies. Could you ever see yourself falling in love with someone like that?'

'Honestly, Gale, I don't really picture myself falling in love anybody.'

Gale's brow inexplicably creased, and suddenly he was unable to look her in the eye. It was an unfamiliar gesture, an indicator of a new terrain between them that Katniss by all means did not want to cross onto. This talk about love was embarrassing enough with Prim and her mother, but with Gale it made her downright uneasy.

'You should go get some rest. Looks like today really tired you out.'

'Yeah, I guess. I'll go.'

He stood, so did Katniss, and they manoeuvred themselves carefully into the semblance of a hug. Katniss hated this new awkwardness. 'I miss the days in the woods,' she told him hurriedly. 'We were a good team, good friends.'

'Good friends. We still are friends, Katniss.'

'Good,' Katniss replied, artfully guiding him towards the door. 'We'll hunt again soon, when the weather lets up.'

'Good, right, bye Katniss. Bye Miss Everdeen, bye Prim.'

Katniss's mother called her goodbye from the kitchen, Prim from her surveillance post on the stairs. Gale hesitated, before bringing his face close to hers. Katniss reacted as quickly as if she had seen a wild bear approaching, pushing him out through the entrance and slamming the door in his face. She leaned against it, breathing hard.

'That was so awkward,' Prim said cheerfully, crunching on a pear. 'Told you he thought you were pretty.'

'When did you get so wise?' Katniss murmured weakly before collapsing onto her butt.

The door rumbled against her as it was knocked again.

'Goodbye Gale!' she yelled.

'Special delivery?' came an uncertain reply.

Prim sprang nimbly onto her toes. 'It's him! Open it, _open it_!'

'Yes, yes,' Katniss said as she heaved herself up. She couldn't help hoping that Gale had left by the time Peeta had arrived. For some reason, the two didn't sit together easily in her mind, or on her front doorstep.

He was smiling that flabbergasting smile again, as if he hadn't waded a good mile in the subzero temperatures just to deliver one package to an irascible, borderline ungrateful Seam girl. And in the light of that smile, it took Katniss a while to remember to speak. Fortunately for her, it appeared that Peeta was grappling with the same problem.

'Hi,' he said.

'Hi,' she echoed. 'So, um, that's for me?'

There was another, slightly-larger-than-yesterday's box in his hand, with neat holes cut into its sides. 'Yes.'

'And how long will these food deliveries last for?'

'Food?'

Katniss coughed. 'Gift! How long will these gift deliveries last for? When does this all stop?'

'My briefing said twelve days, so looks like we still have quite a long way to go,' Peeta informed her apologetically.

'That's perfectly fine,' Prim said, squeezing through the doorway via ducking under Katniss's arm. 'Hi, Peeta.'

Peeta's smile was luminescent. 'Hi, Prim, how are you doing?'

'Wait, wait, how do you two know each other?'

'I go to the bakery sometimes, afterschool. Just to look,' Prim added quickly, when Katniss prepared herself for the dreaded money talk.

'She likes the cupcakes with the decorations. I, er, let her have a couple sometimes, provided that she shared with the rest of her family.' When he said family, he fixed his too-blue eyes on Katniss, coupling the gaze with a stupidly adorable, bashful smile. And since when was adorable in her mental vocabulary? Damn Mellark. Getting to her through her sister and confusing her tolerance for sentimentality. What a wily move!

And then she realised: She hadn't seen paper or crumb of these famed, decorated cupcakes. 'So Prim, where were these cupcakes?'

'Prim!' Peeta exclaimed. 'You mean you didn't give them to her– them?!'

'I'm sorry.' Prim was beetroot red, as well she should be, the little cake hoarder. 'Buttercup always finds me first, and he won't let me go until he's eaten them all. I've tried hiding them, but his nose is amazing. He always knows.'

'You spoil that cat.'

Peeta looked between the sisters as they bickered, but grinned as he saw that there was no real animosity between them. 'It's ok, I'll bring some around next time.'

'It's ok, Katniss doesn't have much of a sweet tooth anyway.'

'Then I'll bring something savoury too. Do you like cheese buns, Katniss?'

'Never had any,' Katniss replied cautiously.

Peeta gasped as if she had just confessed to a heinous crime. 'Well, I'll have to rectify that. All right, so that's one order of cheese buns, and you, Prim, what would you like?'

'Oh! Those pastries with the glazed fruit always look so good.'

'All right, I'll make a note of that and–'

'Wait, we can't…we can't, Peeta. We can't pay. That's very nice of you to offer, but sorry, we can't.'

'Who said anything about paying?' Peeta asked. He turned an easy smile on Prim. 'Did you hear anything about that?'

'No,' she said, readily returning his smile.

'Then that's settled. Here's your present,' he pressed the box into Katniss's hands, 'sign here, thanks, and I'll be off. Merry Christmas.'

Prim hugged Katniss excitedly as they watched Peeta walk away. 'Pastries, pastries!' she sang.

'So that's why you're rooting for him, because he gives you food?'

'No,' Prim frowned and looked Katniss sharply in the eye. 'Because after all this time of you looking after me and mom, I want someone to take care of you… And I think you'd let him.'

Katniss clutched the box tightly to her chest. 'Come on, let's open this.'

Prim acquiesced easily enough, and they piled in out of the cold. They sat in the living room, on either side of the box, and the younger sister cooed as Buttercup prowled into the room and wound around her legs. Katniss regarded the ugly cat with disapproval. 'I hear you've been stealing my cupcakes.' The cat's flea-bitten face twisted into something a bit too reminiscent of Cato's smirk for Katniss's liking.

Inside the box was a cage that housed three sleek, brown hens.

'Chickens!' Prim cheered. 'I love chickens, they're so cute.' Katniss and Buttercup were also pleased to see them, for a whole other reason.

Carefully, Katniss lifted them from the box, admiring their plumpness. It had been so long since she'd had chicken. The poor little suckers regarded her with cocked heads before the middle hen took a marked step forward, opened its beak and said in a crisp, monotone, distinctly male voice, "Bon-jower".

The Everdeen sisters screamed, and Katniss dropped the cage. And suddenly the birds were out, alternating between frantic clucks and human gibberish as the cat chased them from the room. Moments later, their mother added to the commotion, shrieking as the kitchen pots once again went raucously flying.

'What the hell was that?' Katniss asked. 'Why were they _talking_?'

'They were like mutts or something,' Prim said with a tremble. 'Why would Peeta give you something like that?'

'Because it's _not_ Peeta.'

'I'm starting to think that you're right.'

Despite her shaken state, Katniss shook her head and tutted. 'Starting to think.'

Next door, the unnatural, anthropomorphic hens were all chanting something that sounded like "saycrer blur, saycrer blur!".

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>Thank you to everyone who read, favourited, followed and reviewed! **Reviewer: **it is a true honour to be bookmarked, and **Everlarkmakorraforever: **the truth may surprise you!


	4. Four calling birds

I'm still trying to decided whether or not this has passed into the realms of a crack!fic yet. Whatever it is, I'm enjoying it.

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><p><strong>Four Calling Birds<strong>

It had taken them too long a while to round up the chickens. Buttercup had needed to be wrestled

from the room by a half-hysterical Prim, while Katniss and Mrs Everdeen warded the birds into the kitchen corner.

That night, Katniss had nightmares about the three of them, wriggling like maggots and screaming in their frightening dialect. 'Joyeux Noël et bonne année!', 'Je t'adore!', '¡Buenos Saturnales!': their fervent exclamations haunted her dreams, and she awoke with a headache grimmer than death itself. She thought she could hear them still, chattering away. Probably because they were only locked up downstairs.

Prim had joined her somewhere over the course of the night, the cat too. Her sister had curled up on Katniss's arm, putting it to sleep. Still, Katniss didn't begrudge her, stroking the girl's silken blonde hair and wistfully recalling the times when this had been normal.

'I think they're like the jabberjays,' Katniss told her over breakfast. 'Mutts engineered to copy human speech, except they were fed words beforehand. Why they would be taught weird gobbledegook is beyond me though. They could be saying anything.'

'It was a very unromantic present,' Prim added morosely.

'Agreed. We can't even eat them.' The thought of eating talking birds made them pale. 'What _can _we do with them?'

'We could keep them as pets,' was Prim's reluctant suggestion. The idea appealed to neither of them.

'Do you think Peeta's delivery service does returns?'

…

Cato not showing up that morning was like a silver lining amongst storm clouds: ultimately inconsequential. And as quiet as they were around each other, Madge managed to pick up on Katniss's cantankerous mood. 'Why the frown? We break up today.'

'Just trying to work things out.'

Madge's disbelieving look was becoming very familiar to Katniss, but so was the agreeable silence that followed it.

School finished prematurely that day, which Katniss was mildly grateful for, as dusk fell ridiculously early in the lead up to the winter solstice. Her walk home was in blinding daylight beneath a tauntingly clear, blue sky. The sight of its pure, unblemished expanse was enough to inspire a lick of hopefulness in her. Even the slush, just a glorified version of crystallised mud that had been heaped on either side of the road, looked pretty in the winter sunlight. If the sky was finally clear here…

She needed to head to the woods immediately. Nothing stood in her way. Her mother was out visiting patients, Prim was staying indefinitely at a friend's house to celebrate her temporary freedom, Gale was back in the mines, Buttercup was always out despite the inhospitable weather. She even thought she had the courage to deal with the hens today.

As she had predicted, the house was empty, and she gathered her hunting gear in meticulous silence. Then she ventured into the kitchen and found herself a nice, sharp knife. With a determined stride, she approached the chicken cage. The birds saw her coming and crowded to the far side of their little prison. 'Pah-lez vouse anglays!' they kept shouting at her in their odd, masculine voices.'Pah-lez vouse anglays!' She wondered what that meant. Was it a plea for mercy, an elegant appeal to her better judgement?

'I'm sorry,' she told them, 'but we don't have the money to keep you fed properly. Eggs would probably be of a lot of use to us now, but we have no means to keep you healthy enough to lay them. At least this is better than letting you loose so that you die in the cold. At least this is quick.'

This argument did nothing to sway them. Instead, as she carefully opened the door, one of them scratched her hand and escaped. The other two were quick to follow.

'You little _bastard!_' she hissed. 'That's it. I was trying to be humane!'

And so began a heated chase around the house, the hens scampering ahead and Katniss storming behind, wielding her knife and howling like a warrior queen, trying not to trip on the furniture. Then someone knocked at the door. Katniss skidded to a halt, lost her footing and crashed into a kitchen cupboard. She had finally found the pots that errant birds were constantly dashing to the floor. In the background, it sounded a lot like the hens were laughing at her.

Picking herself up and threatening them with a mean look and a flick of the knife, she limped to the front door. She supposed that it was Prim, having forgot something "essential" like hair ribbons as she usually did. Unfortunately for Katniss, it was Peeta.

There was nowhere to hide her giant knife except for behind her back. And she would never stoop to that.

'You're early,' she said quickly.

Neither Peeta nor his smile was fazed. 'I thought it would be more convenient for you. The only thing that was stopping me from delivering earlier was school.'

'Oh,' said Katniss.

Peeta's eyes inevitably fell to her knife. 'You're very weapon-friendly,'

'Not really,' Katniss mumbled. 'You just keep catching me at, er, weapon-friendly times.'

'Ok,' he replied and laughed easily.

_What are you doing, Katniss? Stop staring at you shoes and tell him about the annoying chickens!_ 'Erm, about that last gift. It wasn't very satisfactory.'

Peeta's smile didn't fail, like she expected, so she supposed that was quite good. 'Oh, what was wrong with it?'

'They keep talking, and it's scaring Prim,' _and me_, she mentally added.

'What's talking?' Peeta asked incredulously.

'Those hens you gave me.'

'_Talking_?'

'Do you actually know what you're delivering to me?'

'Not when it's boxed up. Do you, er, mind if I come in and see? I _am_ meant to report to my employer about your levels of satisfaction.'

Katniss froze. He wanted to come in? 'Sure,' she breathed. 'It's not really presentable.'

'I won't stay long, promise, and I won't look at anything you don't want me to look at.'

'Fine, fine,' Katniss groused, palming her face in a fruitless bid to hide its pinkness. 'Just stop saying reassuring things.'

The hens were strutting peaceably around the living room, but when they saw her, they squawked in alarm and ran away, demonstrating their proficiency in archaic human languages as they left.

'Wow,' Peeta chuckled nervously, 'why would he get you that?'

'I know, right? I can't do anything with them.'

'So you tried to kill them?' Peeta asked, nodding towards the knife in her hand.

She stooped, and hid the knife behind her back. '_No_, well, yes, but either way they would die. We can't feed them, so we can't keep them. And who else would want three, unintelligible mutts? They scare the living daylights out of me…Prim. Out of Prim, and she usually loves animals.'

'I could ask around if you want.'

'They're so Capitol. No-one in District Twelve would go for that, especially since Capitol people started coming here. They sure can sell their city.' She fell to murmuring: 'Maybe people would go for them if they couldn't talk. Avox hens, yes.'

'Katniss,' Peeta said slowly, 'Capitol people are coming here.'

'Yes, and the sooner they leave the better.'

'But what if one of them left with three talking chickens in tow?'

'You mean we could give them to a Capitolite?'

'I mean we could _sell_ them to a Capitolite,' Peeta returned with a lopsided smirk that belied his angelic, golden curls.

Unconsciously, Katniss found herself returning it. 'That's good. That's really good. What would be repulsive to anyone from Twelve would just be a fun novelty to a Capitolite.'

'That's settled then. Let me take them off your hands. So many Capitol folk come into the bakery, I'm sure I could get one of them interested. Do you mind if I go into the rest of the house? Just to look for them.'

Instead of granting his request, Katniss looked at him curiously. 'Why are you helping me so much?'

'I want good ratings?' That crooked grin reappeared but with a bashful streak that deeply confused her.

Katniss looked away before she lost her head completely, folded her arms and shrugged. 'You can try and round them up, if you want.'

Peeta opted to cajole the hens back into the cage with gentle words and soft clicks of the tongue. And as funny as he looked on his hands and knees, clucking at the chickens in a tongue that was probably as mangled as the hen's human, the annoying charmer got the job done in minutes.

'Are you going to open today's present?' he asked as he carried the chicken cage back into the living room.

'I'm sure you can understand if I feel a bit divided about that.'

'Yeah,' Peeta said with a chuckle, 'but there's a limit to how many talking animals a guy can send.'

'True,' Katniss replied with a reluctant smile. 'You sure know how to persuade people.'

'I've got a lifetime of wheedling cookies from my dad under my belt.'

This earned him a laugh, one that Katniss quickly stifled when she saw how it made him grin. She hurriedly turned her attention to the box Peeta had brought in and set on the sofa, and with a juddering breath, she opened it. What she saw inside made her briskly shut it again.

'What is it?' Peeta asked. 'Another dud?'

'I can't keep these,' she whispered.

Peeta set the chickens down and gently prised the box open. Inside were four docile birds, their lustrous feathers gathered in an arrangement of coal black and snow white. 'Are those…?'

'Mockingjays,' Katniss confirmed. 'I've never seen any so close before.'

'I've never seen any at all.'

'My father…' Katniss began, but she couldn't finish. 'I, yeah, I can't keep these. I want to return them, to the forest, where they belong.'

There was only one forest that she could mean, but Peeta wasn't horrified or dismayed at the mention of the prohibited area. After all, his family had seen many of its squirrels over the years. Instead, he shifted and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. It was so broad it cradled her deltoid completely, enveloping it in warmth. 'Want me to help?'

Katniss's arm tensed, and Peeta hurriedly dropped his hand. Should she let this boy she hardly knew but infinitely owed to see her private world, her sanctuary? It was a part of her that she couldn't erase, where her father's ghost still dwelt. It was as secret as her smiles, as exclusive as her laughs. It was the place that brought her to life.

But in three days, Peeta had done something to her that had taken others months, years. He had painstakingly won her shaky grins and grudging giggles. Why not show him the woods?

'If you don't have anything else to do.'

'Not immediately, no,' Peeta replied cautiously. 'And to compensate you for what I expect will be my lumbering incompetence in the great outdoors, I brought food.' He unzipped his bulky winter coat to reveal a little satchel, stuffed to the brim with bakery bags. 'Here's your chance to try a cheese bun.'

For some reason, Katniss felt exasperated. 'Did you keep that warm with your body heat?' she asked him.

Peeta flushed. 'That was the general idea.'

'Well,' she said, 'I could hardly let your valiant efforts be in vain. Toss me one.'

…

Katniss was so covertly fond of these novel cheese buns that she nonchalantly took up Peeta's suggestion to bring some with them, and whenever he offered one to her, she quickly, but _casually_ accepted it. There was just something about the fluffiness of the bread, or the way the cheese melted, that set her palette dancing. Not that she betrayed any of this outwardly. Peeta could stop smiling so knowingly at her already.

'Through the fence,' she told him in her usual, brusque tone.

'Really?' Peeta asked, eyeing the forbidding expanse of tangled, metal wire. 'Isn't it live?'

'Not usually, but you always have to listen to check.'

They listened momentarily before Katniss declared it safe, and she wasted no time in digging away some snow and shimmying through the sizeable gap she had created between frayed fence and icy ground. Peeta followed, pushing his burden of three chickens and four mockingjays through first before gingerly sliding himself past on strong arms. Not that Katniss had seen them. It was only a logical description seeing as he had carried two heavy cages across the Seam without any visible exertion. And he daily manhandled cavernous sacks of flour as part of his bakery work. And she was pretty certain that he was the reigning wrestling champion as well.

'Ready?'

During Katniss's musings, Peeta had stood up, gathered the birds and moved to stand within a foot from her. Katniss jumped, slid on the ice and groaned as a chuckling Peeta caught her around the middle. 'Yep,' she said.

'Excellent,' he replied, sky-blue eyes crinkling in good-natured mirth.

Katniss forgot her embarrassment as she surveyed her forest, where, miraculously, only a meagre shower of snow was falling. 'It's cleared.' Her smiles were freer in the forest, and the sight of this welcome weather planted a brilliant beam on her face. 'It's _cleared_. I'll actually be able to _hunt_ something today.' She darted forward, her tread light on the powdery snow. Breathing deeply, she turned, eyes fluttering shut, absorbing the long-absent sound of creatures moving through the trees, scurrying through the snow. 'I can _hear._ And look, tracks. The tracks haven't been covered up. There are actually animals about.'

When she turned back, Peeta was watching her with quiet awe, cheeks painted red by the cold, Katniss was sure.

'We should release the mockingjays now.'

'Of course, yes, what we came here for, right?'

Katniss actually laughed as the birds flew from the box in a monochromatic flurry of wings, landing on a low-hanging branch and observing their liberators with intelligent black eyes. She dared herself to stand closer to Peeta while he was beaming up at the birds. 'They're songbirds, right? They copy tunes.'

'Yeah.'

Peeta whistled something, a laconic excerpt from a half-familiar melody. As the mockingjays picked it up, passing it among them as if it were a game, Katniss remembered. 'The Valley Song?'

The boy nodded enthusiastically before passing an admiring gaze over the forest once more. It looked so idyllic in its coat of white, the majestic trees running interference on the winter sunlight so that the forest floor was striped shadowy grey and sunny gold. And everywhere was the bustle of life where only yesterday, there had been storm-enforced silence. 'This place is like a shrine to the living,' he said softly.

And Katniss found herself opening up because he _knew_, he understood. 'My dad used to take me here when I was small. He taught me about all the plants, which ones to pick, and how to hunt.' Peeta was giving her his full attention, as if _she_ were the master of words, of stories, not him. 'He loved the mockingjays. I remember how he used to sing to them, old folk songs for them to repeat. And whenever he sang, the whole forest would go silent as the mockingjays listened.'

'You've inherited that gift.'

Katniss shied away. 'I don't sing.'

'You did, once,' Peeta said. His voice was coloured by nostalgia, the sun was too radiant on his skin, and he looked at her in way that Katniss had done nothing to deserve. 'This place seems so important to you. Thank you for letting me come along for a little while.'

'You're welcome,' Katniss mumbled, glad that the conversation had been diverted. If it had continued on in that strand for any longer, Katniss thought she might have ended up singing for him. And while she was ready to show Peeta her smiles and her woods, her voice was another matter. 'There was a Capitolite in here the other day, you know.'

'Really?'

'Yeah, his friends rushed me as I was heading to the forest. They said they dared him to climb through the fence and he hadn't come out for ages. So I went in and found him stuck in a tree.' Peeta laughed. 'I wasn't so amused. It was some guy around our age with crazily styled hair. Red with orange tips. I think he wanted it to look like it was on fire or something. He'd climbed the tree, got his leg caught and fell hard. It took me ages to get him down in one piece, and then I had to help him over to my mom because he'd broken his ankle.'

'You're a lifesaver.'

'The idiot wasn't so grateful for it. He was calling for his security guards and his family doctor. I think he was a bit delirious.'

'And you still put up with him. You know, Katniss Everdeen, I'm starting to think that you're a lot kinder than you want people to think you are.'

'Perish the thought.'

Peeta laughed again. 'Consider it done. Well, I think I'll let you get on with your hunting. Again, thank you for letting me see this place. It's amazing.' He hoisted the cage of chickens under one arm. 'And I'll set about finding these guys…or girls, a new owner.'

'Just–' Peeta had started moving away, but her voice halted him, 'just make sure that the owner's a good one. You know how some of them are cruel.'

'Some of everyone are cruel,' Peeta remarked with a little smile, 'but don't worry, I'll find them a good home. You're making it very hard to think you're not kind.'

'Try harder,' Katniss said.

'No,' Peeta retorted with a sly grin and a wink that was so unexpected, Katniss's heart skipped a couple of beats. 'See you tomorrow.'

'Ok,' she muttered.

Only then did it occur to her how dangerous Peeta really was. Not because he was stocky or strong, not because he could hurl a hundred-pound load of flour over his head, not even because he had bloodied his fists more than once in a wrestling match. He was kind. Astonishingly kind and impossibly charming. Such a person had a way of worming themselves past people's defences and into their hearts. In just three days, Peeta had made it past the fence and into the woods. There even his smaller actions were magnified, they could wound, destroy, and all the blame would be on Katniss, because she had let him in.

Katniss set about stringing her bow. The sooner she was hunting, the sooner she would feel like a predator of the forest again, not one of its hunted prey. Up in the canopy, the mockingjays were still reciting the Valley Song.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>No Gale _or _Cato in this chapter. I wish that it could stay that way.

**a****hschung** and **blondmomma09:** glad you like it! **Trude**: your comment really made me laugh. I'll leave it up to your judgement as to whether Prim was being completely honest or not. **Anonymous:** thank you for your in-depth reviews. They are the best. You are perceptive...and your puppy sounds adorable!

Reviews warm my typing hands in the middle of frosty England.


	5. Five golden rings

This chapter started off with me wondering how on earth I could bring "five golden rings" up to an acceptable word count. Somehow it ended up as my longest chapter yet. Please enjoy, and as always, thank you for reading.

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><p><strong>Five Golden Rings<strong>

Katniss needed answers. So the morning after, she shrugged on her father's coat, grabbed some of the money she had made yesterday, and headed to the Hob.

The black market had frightened her once, when she had first started trading alone. It was a nightmare to navigate for a callow little girl with its ever-changing labyrinth of makeshift stalls and the gruff, rough patrons that frequented them. Now it was her second home, third when she included the forest, and the vendors greeted her like fond aunts and uncles.

She swung herself up onto a stool at Greasy Sae's improvised counter and pushed forward a couple of coins.

'What do you fancy?' the elderly woman called to her from beside her large kettle of simmering broth.

'You mean between meat stew, meat stew and meat stew?' Katniss asked, bestowing an insouciant grin on her oldest and most generous game buyer. 'Hey, why not? I'll shake it up a bit and go for the meat stew.'

Sae cackled. 'Coming right up, my dear.'

She ladled some of the stew into a bowl and handed it to Katniss, sweeping the coins off the counter with the other hand. Katniss dug in. The meat in the stew was, as always, completely unidentifiable. Katniss didn't even know if it was something she had shot yesterday. It was no use asking the woman herself. According to Sae, everything was beef once it entered her pot. That didn't fail to make it delicious and a source of much needed warmth in this relentless cold. She imagined how it would go with a cheese bun, fresh from the oven. And then she shot that image down with a flaming arrow.

'Sae,' Katniss leaned confidentially over her stew, 'there's something else you can help me with. I'm looking for some information.'

'Well, I'll try my best.'

'Do you know what…Christmas is?' she asked, carefully imitating Peeta's pronunciation.

'What? I'm sorry, my dear, but I'm a cook, not a – a whatever you need to be to know what that is.'

'You know people though, Sae. Everyone comes to your stall. Does anyone stand out to you for knowing their ancient history?'

'How ancient is this history we're talking about here?'

'Like pre-Panem ancient.'

'Let me think.'

'I know of a place where you can find such information,' a hooded figure sitting further down the counter said.

'Who is that?' Katniss asked, frowning at the stranger whose somewhat unplanned air of mystery was heightened by the way the stew billowed steam around his hidden face.

'Who am I?' the man asked, spooning up some broth and taking a sip. 'I – _whoa, _Sae, easy on the pepper! You could choke a pig with this.'

Katniss stretched over and flipped off the man's hood, revealing Katniss's favourite, red-headed Peacekeeper. 'Darius.'

'That's it,' Sae said, amusedly enough, 'I'll make it without the pepper and then we'll see how easy it is to pretend it's beef.'

'Why were you hiding your face like that?' Katniss had to ask.

'I was trying to look cool for you,' Darius pouted. 'I guess Sae's murderous soup put an end to that.'

'You're welcome to leave, Darius. Your ass is taking up the place of a more willing customer's.'

'No, I'll stay! You know how much I secretly love your concoctions, Sae,' he said with a charming grin that, while pretty inferior to Peeta's, worked well enough on the motherly old woman.

'I should think so,' the woman nodded smartly, before leaving to serve another customer.

'So,' Katniss shuffled onto Darius's neighbouring stool, dragging her bowl with her, 'what's the place?'

'I'll tell you for a kiss,' the impious young man said.

'Pass.'

'No need to say that so quickly!'

'Come on, Darius. I don't have to put up with you, but I do.'

'Is that the best you've got? Fine, I'll tell you because I'm in a generous mood today. Must be the pepper. What you want is the Justice Building.'

'The Justice Building?'

That place was an extremely grand and equally underused building on the more affluent side of town. Katniss had been there once for one of its rare ceremonies. She had stood beside Gale on its polished, marble floors and received her medal of honour on behalf of her father, who had died in the District's service. Sometimes, she thought it was used for weddings, but certainly not by anyone from the Seam. Perhaps there were council meetings there too, though Katniss couldn't profess to know much about the district's political conventions.

'What could I find at the Justice Building?'

'Well, Miss Everdeen, it so happens that there is a library in the basement filled with all sorts of historical documents, perhaps some that could even answer your questions.'

Katniss perked up. 'And anyone could get in?'

'It's meant to be a place of public learning, not that you teenagers have time for that sort of thing usually.'

Katniss rolled her eyes. She doubted that he was even five years older than she was. 'All right, thanks for the tip, Darius. Have the rest of my stew, on me.'

She slid from her stool and set off for the Justice Building to the backdrop of Darius muttering, 'I would have preferred the kiss.'

…

An unpleasant surprise awaited her at the Justice Building library.

'Katniss, didn't expect to see you here,' Cato said with his habitual smirk.

'Ditto,' she replied wholeheartedly. 'Entertaining the rainbow rabble?'

'Yeah, we're on the last leg. Turns out Capitolites actually like a bit of history. I just put on a couple of vids and leave them to it. What are you here for?'

'Research.' She had to be very careful here. After all, it was highly likely that Cato was her secret admirer. He was certainly obtuse enough to send her three talking chickens and expect her to appreciate it.

'What kind?'

'Just history stuff, you know.'

'Want any help?'

'No, don't worry about it. You've got your Capitol kids to look after, make sure they don't cause anymore cave-ins. I value my life.'

'All right. I'm actually kind of relieved. Books make my eyes swim, and I can't exactly imagine this district's history being that interesting. Coal this, coal that. Kill me now, no offence.'

Asking her to kill him was the least offensive thing he had said to her since they first met.

'I'll be heading over there now, see you around.' She hoped she wouldn't.

The further she walked into the musty room, the older the history got. There was an abundance of literature on the banal goings-on of District Twelve: the innovations in coal extraction, the complete catalogue of miner's strikes, the changes in government. Then there were videos on the Dark Days, some Katniss could swear were borrowed by her school. They were meaningless propaganda, written by the victorious Capitol, glossing over the facts in its rush to paint the district-born rebels as villains. Along the back wall sat the pre-Panem books.

There was no pattern to them, no theme. The books were whatever had been foraged, saved from decay or complete destruction. They were old, frayed and wrapped up in protective sleeves. Some were missing covers; others looked like a mere touch would cause them to disintegrate. There were blackened books, faded books, books filled with holes. She didn't think all of them were factual either. She took down what must have once been a brightly coloured book, "The Hungry Caterpillar" it was called. It was rigid, made from something denser than paper. She thought that it might have been for children once. The sight of all the food depicted inside of it made her put it back.

Then she began her real search. She gathered all books that mentioned Christmas in their titles and set them down on the nearest table. There were some that helpfully explained "Christmas traditions" to her, accompanied by bright illustrations of rosy-cheeked children gathering around fir trees, looking inside oversized socks, crowding together in the snow to sing at the doorsteps of smiling old ladies.

Christmas carols, Katniss discovered they sang. "A Christmas Carol", by a man named Charles Dickens, appeared to have very little to do with singing in the snow. The callous protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, seemed to have a similar attitude to all of this Christmas hubbub that she would, if she were alive then. Or maybe she wouldn't. Maybe a world where people could take a whole day out to spread goodness and cheer would have made a pleasanter person of her.

She didn't read all of a Christmas Carol because the language was strangely worded, almost alien to her, but she managed to find a book of real Christmas carols. One of the entries greatly surprised her.

'Twelve days of Christmas,' she read aloud. 'On the First day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.' That sounded far too familiar for her liking, so she tried the next line. 'On the Second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.'

Apparently on the third day, three French hens were given, and on the fourth, there were four calling birds. Katniss slammed the book shut before she could read on. By all means, she should want to know what awaited her in the following days so that she could prepare herself. She just felt so nauseated. What idiot read some Christmas carol from hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago and thought that it would be a good idea to put into practice? What sort of men did she attract? Cato. He was in here every three days on his District Twelve tour. No, please no.

Katniss picked up another book and tried to find out what these twelve days of Christmas actually were. After all, she had only just discovered that Christmas was a day. Why in Panem were there suddenly twelve?

…

When Peeta arrived that day, she was primed to attack. Prim was beside her, ready to strike in her own way.

'Hi Katniss, hi Prim,' he smiled at the Everdeen sisters as soon as the door was opened for him. 'How are you today?'

'Enlightened,' Katniss said.

Peeta blinked at her in confusion before turning to Prim. 'Did you enjoy the fruit pastries?'

'Yes!' Prim cheered.

'Great.'

'Would you like to come in, Peeta?' Katniss asked calmly.

The boy's mouth parted in shock before he once again regained control over his face. 'What, as in the yesterday kind of come in, or…?'

'Ooh, Katniss. What happened _yesterday_?!'

'The standard you're-our-guest kind of come in,' Katniss told him, prodding Prim in the side.

'Oh, well, thank you. May I hang up my coat?'

'Sure, go ahead.'

Peeta flipped off his cap and shrugged off his coat, and Katniss had her first proper glimpse at his labour-honed physique, chiselled and muscular and filling his deep-green sweater to perfection. For some reason, Katniss almost swore, but stopped herself by biting down on her lip. From behind, Prim was gesturing madly at him and tapping her own shoulders.

Yes, he had nice shoulders, Katniss could see that for herself thank you very much.

'So, er, should I sit down or something?' Peeta asked.

'Of course,' Katniss gestured him into the living room, 'yeah, sit down.'

'Make yourself at home,' Prim added in a highly expressive tone.

'Hello, Peeta dear.'

Oh no, not her mom.

'Hello, Mrs Everdeen,' he replied pleasantly, smiling up at her from his seat on the couch. 'My dad wanted me to pass on his thanks for your herbal salve. He says it's done wonders for his back.'

'Not in half as many words, I'm sure,' Mrs Everdeen chuckled fondly.

It was well-known among all of them that Peeta's father had once tried to court Katniss's mother. Nevertheless, the two had remained cordial ever since.

'No,' Peeta replied, laughing with her.

This was ridiculous. If Katniss's laughs were rare, her mother's were critically endangered. What was this boy doing to her entire family?

'Well, that's nice of you to come and visit, Mom,' Katniss said, guiding the woman away before she could invent similarities between this scenario and how Katniss's father had proposed again. 'Weren't you doing something before in the kitchen though?'

'Do you want anything, Peeta?' Mrs Everdeen called over her shoulder.

'Oh, no thanks, Mrs Everdeen. I don't want to impose.'

'Nonsense, you're having tea. I've managed to infuse it with pear and ginger.'

'That sounds delicious, thank you.'

'Mom, you're so embarrassing,' Katniss hissed.

'It sounds like strenuous work delivering all of these gifts to you, and this is how you repay him? Someone at least should show him some gratitude.'

Gratitude? Katniss had let Peeta into her forest. That was far more meaningful than a mug of pear tea. Of course she said none of this to her. Instead, she stormed back into the living room where Peeta and Prim were chatting amicably. They both beamed up at her as she approached, identically oblivious to her irascible mood.

'I did some poking about today,' Katniss said. 'About Christmas, about these gifts, everything.'

'Tell us then,' Prim said.

'Shoot,' Peeta agreed with a smile.

'Never tell her to shoot. She's so literal,' Prim giggled.

'Really?'

'Yeah, there was this one time when–'

Katniss cleared her throat and the two blonds behaved.

'Your employer got it completely wrong. He based this whole process on a song.'

'Will you sing it for us?' Peeta asked.

'No,' Katniss answered flatly. 'The song is about the Twelve Days of Christmas and what the singer's true love has given them on each of those days, but my "true love" didn't do their research properly. The twelve days were a religious holiday, sometimes called Christmastide, beginning on what people once called Christmas day and finishing on Twelfth Night.

'At first I had no idea what that meant until I worked out the pre-Panem calendar system. They used this thing call the Gregorian calendar which divided the year into twelve months, all with names.'

'Why is it always twelve?' Prim asked.

'No idea. Christmas was the 25th of December, which meant nothing to me until I realised that the winter solstice is four days before that. Right now, the winter solstice is three days away so today would be the 18th of December, meaning that whoever this gift-giver is, he hasn't checked his dates. At the rate this is going, the last present will be given on what would have once been Christmas Day, instead of the first present.'

Now her little spiel was over, Katniss took a deep breath and beamed proudly at the two blond teenagers sitting on her couch. Not knowing what else to do, Peeta clapped.

'What's Christmas Day? Prim asked.

'That's irrelevant. Peeta, you need to tell your employer that he's wrong and needs to stop sending me gifts immediately.'

'But he's putting so much effort into it,' Peeta protested with impossibly large blue eyes.

'Damn you, I have rights.'

'Today's one must have really cost him,' he stubbornly pressed on.

'Really? What is it this time? A dancing duck? A piano-playing peacock? A–?'

Katniss's words died on her tongue when Peeta brandished a slim, black box, about the size of a harmonica, and opened it to reveal five exquisite rings. Prim took over, screaming and babbling excitedly, fawning over each one and urging Katniss to just _look_. Katniss crept forward, as if the box was brimming with poisonous serpents, not gold, and said, 'Do you know how much we could sell these for?'

Prim's jubilation shattered. 'You can't _sell_ them.'

'What use are they on my fingers, Prim? These could go to someone who would actually appreciate them, and we could get something that we appreciate for ourselves.'

Inexplicably, Prim looked close to tears. 'Please don't sell them.'

'Think of what we could get for them, though? We could buy everything we need. You need a new coat, warmer shoes. And we could buy nice things as well. We could buy all the cupcakes you want.'

'But they're for _you_. You can't give them away.'

'There's nothing else to do, Prim. They're useless here. By your logic, we should have kept those talking hens too.'

'That's different.'

'It's not. Please, Prim, just grow up a bit and you'll see–'

'This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to either of us! You're so lucky, Katniss. After all that hard work you've done for me and Mom, you're getting your rewards. And you deserve it, and I'm so happy for you. Why can't you be happy for yourself?'

Before Katniss could defend herself, Prim ran from the room and thundered up the stairs. Katniss made to follow her, but Peeta grabbed her by the arm, briefly, haltingly, yet it was enough to stop her.

'What did I say wrong?' Katniss asked. 'I don't know what I did.'

'Was she ever into fairy tales?'

Katniss looked at him oddly, but replied, 'She loved them.'

'To her, this is a fairy tale, or the closest she could ever come to seeing one. And you, her beloved sister who she wants the world for, are the princess, the hero. Have you ever seen the hero deny her own tale and the happiness that comes with it? I don't think Prim has.'

'So I should take the rings, pretend to love them and let them gather dust in my drawer.'

Peeta looked down at them thoughtfully. 'I'll make you a bet. If I win, you have to keep them. If _you_ win, I'll take them back, like with the hens, who by the way are now in the possession of a vivacious pink-haired Capitolite named Effie Trinket, thanks for asking.'

Katniss sat in Prim's vacated seat, arms folded. 'What's the bet?'

'Look at the rings. There's got to be one that you wouldn't mind wearing.' Slowly, Katniss nodded. 'Right, then I'll guess. If I guess right, they're all yours. If I guess wrong, then they're gone. It's a one in five chance. The odds are very much in your favour.'

'Fine, I've chosen my favourite.'

'All right.' Peeta turned the ring box to face him and looked through the rings. Katniss waited for him to choose the most ostentatious ring and be done with it. Unconsciously, she leaned over so she could watch his progress, her forehead bumping his.

The first ring to his left, her right, was embedded with emeralds. 'You seem like a green kind of girl.'

'What makes you say that?'

'I don't know. Forests, nature, life, they all scream green as much as they scream you. This next one is nice, I suppose.' The gold ring contained a central band that was inlaid with diamonds. 'And this middle one.'

The middle one was the sort of ring that any sane girl would choose. It was gorgeous, intricately carved white gold with three large, finely cut diamonds hemmed with pearls. 'It's like a snowstorm,' Katniss said.

Peeta looked sharply up at her before returning his gaze once more. 'And this one's like fire,' he commented, indicating the ruby ring.

The last ring was contrastingly plain, little more than a golden band with a delicate rendering of a bird where there would normally be jewels. And Katniss had thought she had escaped birds today.

'All right, I've picked,' Peeta announced, and he picked up the plain golden band. His eyes found hers. 'Was I right?'

Katniss could lie. She could argue that most girls would go for the most elaborate, most beautiful, most costly ring and didn't he know any better? 'Yes,' she said.

Smiling softly, he took her left hand in his and slid the ring onto her fourth finger. Katniss breathed deeply.

'Look closer at the bird.'

Katniss did, holding the ring up to her eye. 'A mockingjay.'

Peeta smiled. 'That's definitely your ring, Katniss.'

'I can give the rest to Prim, and Mom.'

'Sounds like a good plan.'

Peeta's smile wouldn't abate until Katniss returned it, which she did, looking away. Always looking away. At that moment, Katniss's mother returned with three piping mugs of tea.

'Where's Primrose?'

'Upstairs,' Katniss and Peeta chorused.

'Oh,' Mrs Everdeen said, then her eyes fell to the ring on Katniss's finger, '_oh_. I see. What a lovely gesture. Though Katniss, you are definitely too young to be getting married.'

'Who said anything about marrying?' Katniss protested.

'I'd like to meet this "true love" of yours,' she said, setting two of the cups down. 'I have quite a lot to tell him about ground rules.'

Katniss groaned, but Peeta laughed and thanked her for the tea.

'Delicious,' Peeta said, smiling into his cup.

'Don't get smug,' Katniss snapped, though she wasn't truly angry. In fact, it was strange how at ease she felt.

'You're always welcome to some more,' Mrs Everdeen beamed, looking extremely pleased. 'Whenever you're passing by.'

'Thank you very much, Mrs Everdeen, but I don't think Katniss would be able to cope with me being around all the time.'

Katniss scowled into her tea.

'Nonsense, you're a joy, Peeta.'

'A joy,' Peeta repeated as soon as Katniss's mother had left the room.

'Shut up,' Katniss grunted before taking a hearty gulp of tea.

'Make sure to sign the fourth and fifth day on that sheet. We forgot yesterday.'

'_You_ forgot.'

'But apart from that, I've been good, right?'

Katniss considered him carefully, rather unused to him digging for compliments. 'You're all right. What are you smiling for?'

'From you, all right means outstanding.'

Katniss said nothing in response to this, but some voice inside her admitted that in this case, outstanding wasn't much of an exaggeration.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: halenahaloway: <strong>Wow, golden! How apt for this chapter. In all seriousness, thank you so much for the positive response. **Anonymous****: **I'm glad you think that this is better than a crack!fic! And yes, Peeta the babe magnet! I like the sound of that.

Major gratitude to all the readers, favouriters, followers and reviewers.


	6. Six geese-a-laying

So I dropped the ball on this one! Ideally you should expect two chapters today to make up for it. Hold me to that, I need the motivation.

On another note, I've been striving to work as many canon characters into this story as I can, despite it being firmly set in District Twelve. It's quite fun, like a puzzle!

* * *

><p><strong>Six Geese-a-laying<strong>

'So you like them, Prim?' Katniss asked smilingly as her sister admired her new rings at the table. She and their mother had had a bit of a tussle over who received which ring. Prim insisted that her mother have the two diamond rings, which incidentally happened to be her personal favourites. Conversely, Mrs Everdeen had insisted that her daughter take three of the rings, a suggestion that both of her girls contested. In the end, through Katniss's intervention, Prim accepted the diamond rings and her mother kept the ruby and the emerald.

'So much more romantic,' she sighed happily. 'You've still got your ring on.'

Katniss looked down at the elegant gold band glinting on her finger. 'Well, it's practical enough. It doesn't get in the way like a bracelet or a necklace. There isn't really a reason not to wear it.'

'I bet Peeta will be pleased.'

'For the last time, Prim. These gifts aren't from Peeta.'

'I know that by now, Kat, but he's the one that convinced you to wear it. That makes him the victor in this scenario.'

'Victor? Scenario? Ever since you started watching all those Capitol shows, you've been saying such weird things.'

'You seriously can't watch one without picking up some dramatic flair. I bet even you couldn't escape the effects.'

'What do you mean even me?'

'Well, you don't honestly have a dramatic bone in your body, or a flair bone, for that matter. Please, don't get upset about it, Katniss. I mean it in the most caring way. You're cool, stoic…earthy.'

'It doesn't matter to me whether I have dramatic flair or not,' Katniss bit out.

'Of course, of course, so will you watch one with me?'

'What? I thought we'd moved past that part of the conversation.'

Katniss never won these little scuffles with Prim. When it came to her baby sister, she was a complete pushover. So it was with a heavy heart that she found herself watching an insipid, kaleidoscopic Capitol transmission on their requisite television set, trying to remember which crazy-looking celebrity was which and, only slightly more rarely, decipher which were male and which female.

'That one,' Katniss indicated an obscenely good-looking man with copper hair and deep-green eyes, 'is Finnie O…something. Finnie O'Malley?'

'Finnie O'_Malley?_ Katniss, where have you been these past few months?'

'Not watching TV.'

'That's Finnick Odair. He's popular, even though he's not from the Capitol.'

Katniss remembered now. News of this district-born heartthrob had reached even her ears, swimming by her in school corridors. 'He's from District Four, isn't he? Won some sort of competition.'

'Yeah, Adventurer. It's this extreme survival show full of cool challenges and dangerous landscapes and massive bugs. Ever since he won, he's been all over the Capitol. All my friends talk about him.'

'Ok first, your friends' idolisation of older boys is starting to concern me. And second, he's _too_ pretty.' Between his golden skin, bronze hair and emerald eyes, he looked like a lavish, jewel-encrusted figurine. Lavish, jewel-encrusted figurines should not be walking, talking and flirting with the camera. 'It's unnerving.'

'Peeta's too pretty, but you don't seem to have a problem with him.'

'He unnerves me too actually, so you can keep your smart comments to yourself.'

'Aha, so you don't deny that he's too pretty.'

'I will leave, right now.'

'No, please Katniss. Please stay.'

Katniss hadn't really been planning to leave anyway. The couch had got to a point where it cushioned her so effectively that she didn't really want to move.

'I think I recognise that one too,' Katniss said brightly. She gestured to a boy two seats away from Odair whose dark hair - streaked through with silver - draped over his incomprehensibly young face. Katniss would never understand Capitol fashion. 'I have no idea where from though.'

'That's Domitius Roe,' Prim said. 'His father's a senator. He's on TV a lot too. Maybe you've seen him through that.'

Katniss felt overwhelmed, and she had only learnt two people's names. 'Probably.'

'And that's Floriana Rosum, isn't she lovely? Then Seneca Crane with the silly beard is sitting at the end. No-one really likes him. And, oh yes, that's Caesar Flickerman. The host with the lilac hair.'

'And what are they doing? Why are those four sitting on a panel?'

'It's a talent competition.'

Katniss was too petrified to scream. The first act to walk on, a heavily made-up, surgically feline woman who went solely by the name of Tigris and spent her showcasing minute crawling about on stage like a cat, was an indicator of the hellish hour to follow.

'That was lovely, darling,' Floriana Rosum smiled sweetly. She was technically an adult Prim, Katniss decided. 'Very innovative.'

'Spectacular,' Finnick Odair said with a sultry wink that prompted the audience to scream.

'Awful,' was Seneca Crane's two cents.

'Thank you,' Katniss murmured.

When the door knocked, Katniss sat up like a rabbit scoping its surroundings for danger. Except it wasn't danger Katniss sensed, but an escape.

'Keep watching, I'll get it.'

'All right,' Prim added, bobbing her head absently as the next person began to sing, no, caterwaul for the adoration of the Capitol.

'Peeta!' Katniss said urgently as soon as she had opened the door and seen who it was.

'Hi, Katniss. How's everything–?

'Stay as long as you like. As _long as you like_.'

'Well, thanks for the offer, but today's gift doesn't require me staying at all.'

Katniss felt her hopes slowly dying. If they had voices, perhaps they would sound like the contestant currently yowling about love and loss on the television. 'Why not?'

'Because it's not here,' Peeta said, spreading his empty hands.

'Did you tell your employer to give up on me?'

Peeta snorted. 'Hardly. Your gift's somewhere else, that's all. If you have an hour or so to spend, you could go and view it. That isn't a problem, is it?'

Somewhere else. An hour or so. That sounded highly promising.

'Not at all! Let me just get my coat.'

Peeta followed her inside, which Katniss supposed was only fair. He'd been doing a lot of standing on cold doorsteps ever since he started delivering to her. He ducked into the living room, presumably to greet Prim, but soon rushed out again, a hilarious grimace on his face.

'Capitol talent show,' Katniss explained with a laugh. 'Prim's a total nutjob for liking it.'

'Starting to see why leaving the house is no problem at all.'

Walking through District Twelve with Peeta was markedly different to the time before, where the birdcages in his arms helped the memory transcend reality. This time it was just him, and just her, and their voices tentatively melding in the cold air.

'I'd like to see you go on a show like that and sing.'

Why was he so fixated on her singing? 'I don't know. Wouldn't I need some dramatic flair or something to pull it off?'

'Dramatic flair? I think I saw enough dramatic flair in my two seconds of viewing to last a lifetime. Though if you really wanted to go for impact, you could always bring your bow, shoot a couple of arrows at their heads if they weren't paying enough attention.'

'I'd never do that,' Katniss protested.

Peeta gave her a sideways glance as if it could see straight into her soul. 'I don't know.'

'I wouldn't. I'm not _that_ hostile.'

'No, you're not.'

'Well, good. Where are we going anyway?'

'Trust me, if I told you, you'd be no more clued in to what your gift is. It's kind of weird for everybody.'

'Sounds so fun,' Katniss grumbled.

'Any more of that and you're back off to your house to watch Capitol Star.'

'No need to be cruel.'

Abernathy and Sons was a rarity of the merchant high street. Of course, its neat, white-brick building helped it to blend in with its affluent neighbours, a grocer's and a florist's, but inside was another story. The flourishing law firm was owned, run and staffed entirely by people from the Seam.

'So today's gift is six lawyers?'

'No,' Peeta replied, holding the door open for her.

'Six lawsuits?'

'Definitely not.'

The modest reception area contained a desk, a couple of chairs, some potted plants and not much else. Nonetheless, the dark-haired, grey-eyed receptionist looked extremely happy to be there.

'Hi,' Peeta smiled at her, 'we're here to see Abernathy Senior.'

'I will check his availability, sir,' the woman replied with too mushy a grin, if anyone was asking Katniss, which they weren't. The receptionist put on a headset the likes of which Katniss had only seen on Capitol broadcasts, pressed a button, called for Mr Abernathy and waited. 'You may go through into his office. Take that corridor, first door on the right,' she told Peeta, resting her chin on her hand as she gazed up at him.

'Thank you,' Peeta said, beaming pleasantly.

'Yes, thanks,' Katniss said curtly, seizing Peeta's arm and marching him to Mr Abernathy's office.

'You're in a rush today,' Peeta remarked. 'You're getting into this present thing, aren't you?'

'Sure.' Katniss rapped on Mr Abernathy's door, not really seeing it. Nice wood, she clocked absently,

mahogany.

'Come in,' Abernathy Senior called from beyond.

'Hi, Mr Abernathy,' Peeta said once they had entered. 'It's Peeta. We talked earlier this morning about the whole arrangement.'

'Back with the girl already? You're an efficient one.'

Katniss recognised Mr Abernathy by sight. Over the past couple of decades, he had become a respected figure in the town, and he certainly dressed like it. He tended to favour crisp suits in many varieties of pearlescent grey, and his black hair was painstakingly slicked back. There was a distinctly aquiline quality to his silvery gaze as his eyes passed between the two youths, lingering for a fleeting second longer on the place where Katniss still gripped Peeta's arm.

'So, Peeta here explained the whole situation, and your lover boy's left your gift with me today,' Mr Abernathy said with a cavalier gruffness that somewhat undermined his sharp image.

'Why?' Katniss asked.

'I keep geese,' Mr Abernathy said.

Katniss blinked. 'What?'

'I said I keep geese.'

'But you're a lawyer.'

'Lawyers can keep geese if they want to keep geese.'

Katniss was trying to rein in her chortles at this moment as she imagined this composed man trying to herd geese about town in one of his chic suits.

'Shut up,' Mr Abernathy said.

Katniss didn't. 'I've seen the goose boy ward the geese down the street pretty much every day. It's never you.'

'I hire someone to. Contrary to popular belief, I actually have pressing work to do here.'

'Like solving livestock disputes and prosecuting over bar brawls.'

'In a small town, small problems become so much more important,' Mr Abernathy retorted.

'He takes the cases of anyone who needs him, Merchant or Seam, no matter how much or how little they can pay,' Peeta told her in a mild tone that masked the admonishment.

Mr Abernathy didn't look particularly pleased with Peeta for supporting him. Katniss was staring pointedly at her toes.

'Shall we see the geese?' Peeta asked brightly.

'Now? I thought you meant later. I have things to do now,' Abernathy Senior protested.

'Oh, of course, sorry. We can come back later, can't we, Katniss?'

'We can?'

'Ssh, we both know how much pressing work Mr Abernathy has to do here. Lots of small, important problems to fix. We will remove ourselves from your sight until further notice.'

Peeta grabbed Katniss around the shoulder and swivelled them around. Behind them, Mr Abernathy sighed.

'All right, you can see the damn geese.'

On their way out, Mr Abernathy knocked on the door of the eldest Abernathy Junior. 'I'm leaving for a bit. You're in charge until I come back.'

Abernathy Junior sounded petrified. 'But Father–!'

'If my business collapses while I'm away, you'll be accepting culpability of course,' he said to Peeta.

'He can look after things. How old is he, twenty?'

'Twenty-two.'

'Same age as my oldest brother,' Peeta commented cheerfully. 'My dad leaves him in charge of the bakery all the time.'

Katniss looked up at him curiously. He had integrated himself so seamlessly into her family circle, but she knew next to nothing about his. The realisation left her cold, unsteady, like she was going into a race highly disadvantaged.

Mr Abernathy's family home was a world away from his firm. It was brown, crooked, lopsided and alive with noise. The geese had their own spacious nesting shed in the back flooded generously by artificial lighting. Each goose had her own nesting box, lined with soft bedding, and Katniss smiled to herself. As crotchety as Mr Abernathy seemed to be, he was taking good care of these birds.

'So, these six are yours,' the lawyer said, gesturing.

'Mine?!'

'Yes, courtesy of your _true love_,' Abernathy drawled.

'What do I do with six geese?!'

'Feed them, ideally. Make sure they don't die. They're already hatching eggs, so there's that, but the main period of productivity for them is in the spring.'

To look at her, Katniss appeared mildly horrified. Sensing the dip in mood, Peeta tried to generate enough enthusiasm for the whole room.

'So, how do geese eggs taste, Mr Abernathy?'

'Disgusting.'

'Oh.' Peeta tried again. 'Surely not to everyone.'

'You're better off with chicken eggs to be perfectly honest.'

That was something that Katniss really didn't want to hear.

'Then why do you keep geese, Mr Abernathy?' Peeta asked, his good humour audibly failing.

'Something to do.' Mr Abernathy shrugged.

'So,' Peeta cleared his throat, 'what are we going to do about the geese?'

'Excellent question,' Mr Abernathy said, looking to Katniss.

'Please don't look at me.'

'Then–' Whatever astute and lawyerly comment Haymitch was about to make was interrupted when a boy-sized hurricane whirled into the hatchery.

'Daddy!' the oncoming storm bellowed, flinging himself into Mr Abernathy's arms.

'Ssh,' the Abernathy patriarch hissed, even as he held his youngest son tight, 'I'm only "daddy" with friends and family.'

The little boy – he was eight or nine at the most – slipped from his father's arms without so much of an acknowledgement, barrelling over to where the geese were. Peeta looked on with a warm chuckle; Katniss stepped warily away from the scene.

'Have you come to look at the geese?' the boy asked Peeta, his cherubic face alight with excitement. 'These ones just came in today.'

'They're so cool,' Peeta said earnestly.

The boy rushed to agree. 'I gave them names and everything. Daddy lets me choose all the names. This one's Dusty, and this one's Honker. This one's Ash, this one's Finnick.'

'Finnick?' Peeta asked.

'He's _so_ cool, he's tougher than all the other gooses.'

'Geese,' Mr Abernathy interjected.

'But that's not important right now. This one's _Heather_. Mummy named that one. And this one's Lightning.'

'Is it because he's super fast?' Peeta asked, making the appropriate whizzing and whooshing noises that would have the boy giggle.

'Yeah!'

Katniss and Mr Abernathy found themselves on the other side of the shed, in a position to talk.

'So, "daddy". Who knew you were a soft touch?'

'Shut up.'

'I would have thought the town's greatest lawyer would be able to think of better responses than that.'

'I'm the town's only lawyer, sweetheart,' he replied sardonically, 'and I could if I was being paid for the effort.'

'That's not what Peeta said.'

'You seem to be putting a lot of stock in what that boy says. You sure he's not this professed lover boy of yours?'

'Pretty sure.'

Mr Abernathy marked her with his shrewd graze and grunted. 'And are you pretty sure that if the real lover boy turned up at the end of the show, you'd prefer him?'

'To what, exactly?'

'To what?' Abernathy groused incredulously. 'That poor guy's got his work cut out with you.'

'Now who are you talking about?'

'Whoever you want me to be talking about. I think you know.'

Their eyes tacitly fell to the two boys on the either side of the room, chattering merrily away as they fed the new avian lodgers as well as the old. 'What's his name?'

'Jett,' Mr Abernathy replied, pride curling his tone.

'I think Jett would like to keep those geese, provided you have room and resources.'

'Plenty,' Mr Abernathy said. 'It wouldn't be a complete hassle to take them off your hands. They're a fine breed, lay lots of eggs.'

'Lots of disgusting eggs.'

'For most of my buyers, disgusting eggs are better than no eggs. Anyway, they're not so bad, just a bit tasteless.'

Katniss's only reply was a disbelieving snort.

'Are you definitely sure you don't want them? This admirer of yours intended them for you.'

'Sure he did, but that admirer of mine also elected to ignore the size of my house, the extent of my means and the convenience to my family in blind pursuit of some absurd gift-giving convention that expired centuries ago. Sorry if I'm not exactly keen about most of his presents, or him for that matter.'

Mr Abernathy laughed. 'Well said, but all of that was his second mistake in courting you, not his first.'

'What was the first?'

Abernathy Senior watched her watching Peeta. It was all subconscious. Katniss's eyes following the movements of Peeta's hands as he thrilled little Jett with a story and widening whenever he flashed one of those golden smiles.

'Choosing a boy like _that_ to be his intermediary.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Sober, family man Haymitch is so peculiar. Thank you for your patience, for reading, for any interest shown etc. **Trude **and **ahschung**, thank you so much! **Anonymous**: I find myself looking forward to your reviews. I'm glad you like how I'm using Suzanne Collins' fantastic characters. Yep, Peeta is winning me over as I write him! Good shout on Haymitch by the way.


	7. Seven swans-a-swimming

**Warning: **Very little focus on the actual swans. A certain character's potty mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>Seven Swans-a-swimming<strong>

'I'll be upfront with you today,' Peeta said.

'Ok.'

'Your gift today is seven swans. I've also been informed by my employer that they have to be swimming.'

'Sounds classy.'

'It is. The only problem is that all bodies of water have frozen over. I don't think he's quite accounted for that.'

'We could try a bathtub.'

Peeta laughed. 'Somehow I doubt that would be satisfactory for you or the swans.'

'I'm very flexible on the issue. I'd even be pretty satisfied if there were no swans at all.'

'But there are and I'm trying to make this work here.'

'Of course.' Katniss hesitated before lightly patting him on the shoulder. 'I'll let you think.'

What Katniss had meant as a small, inconsequential action was uncomfortably amplified and cross-examined when Peeta looked up at her like that, as if she had done something far more ludicrous like kiss him.

'Appreciate it,' he said.

Katniss nodded absently, forcing all thoughts of kissing, no matter how indirect, from her mind. She wasn't even sure why it had been the first thought in her mind anyway.

'All right, there's nothing to do about it.' Peeta slapped his knees and stood up. 'We can try the river. Meet you at the bridge in twenty minutes?'

Katniss nodded again. 'Oh yeah, sure. Sounds great.' She wasn't sure what to say next, didn't have a little phrase in her inventory to say "goodbye" to him and "see you again soon".

'So, er, see you then,' Peeta said.

'Yeah, see you.'

Prim was in the room, leaning on the back of Katniss's seat as soon as Peeta had left. 'Rendezvous at the bridge?'

'Shut up.'

'Rude! I'm on your side, remember?'

'You're on my "true love's" side.'

'If you paid attention to anything going on around you, you'd know whose side I was on. Better get walking soon. Love you, Kat.'

Prim kissed the top of her head and breezed out of the room.

…

The residents of District Twelve carelessly called it The Bridge because it was the only one in town. It was an old piece of architecture, a noble stone and mortar creation that arced over The River. Yes, the Twelve natives were the stylish masters of nomenclature.

As it came into view, Katniss was struck by the simple majesty of it. She'd never really had time to admire it before. She supposed that most of her peers didn't either as they hurried over it to school or made out beneath its arch. Thankfully, only Peeta was there right now, standing on the centre of the bridge, leaning on its ledge.

'Got the swans,' he said as she walked up to join him.

'Good.'

'And a frozen river. Not ideal, but it's worth a try.'

'I think you care more about this than the actual sender does,' remarked Katniss.

'I just want you to be happy with what you get. Spread some Christmas cheer, as the boss called it.'

'Well you're a natural. Is that why you took the job?'

Peeta looked away, pulling up his scarf to hide a smile. 'No.'

'Why then?'

He shrugged. 'You know I'm the third son. As much as I love baking, it's very unlikely that I'll get a share in managing the family bakery with two older brothers. So why not branch out?'

'Into delivering things?' Katniss sounded doubtful.

'Yeah sure, why not?' It was obvious by now that Peeta was jesting and that his real motives would remain a mystery for a while longer. But as the snowflakes began to gather in his absurdly long eyelashes – she'd only just noticed them now – she couldn't bring herself to be annoyed for long.

'Ok, the swans are down there, so I'll go sort them out. Stick around?'

'We'll see,' Katniss said with a wry smile.

Peeta grinned in return, shaking his head as he made his way down.

'Hey, Katniss, what are you doing up there?'

Sometimes, she couldn't believe her luck, especially when it came to Cato. He had this unnatural habit of lurking on the fringes of her life, silent as a forest predator, and showing up at the most inopportune moments.

'Shouldn't you be working?' Katniss murmured restlessly, trying to appear casual as she scanned the colourless landscape for Peeta. His bright blue cap, his orange scarf, his black coat, anything.

'Nah, you don't have to worry about that anymore.'

'I never started.'

Cato laughed and came too close, his folded arms shuffling to rest inches from hers on the bridge's wall. 'And that's why I like you, you aren't too scared to not give a damn. Other girls, they're so eager to say the right things when they think that'll get me interested.'

'That's because I don't want to get you interested. But look at you, you don't even think that's possible.'

'I'm not going to lie, Katniss.' He pushed away from the barrier and extended his arms, holding himself up for inspection. 'I mean look at me, then think back to all those rumours you must have heard around and about, the talk. The girls come to me because they heard all the talk and know I can satisfy.'

_Excuse me while I chunder_. 'Good for you,' she said, sidling backward, her search for Peeta getting frantic, 'and for them. Don't let me stop you from…from satisfying them all over again.'

Her discreet, backward steps turned out ineffectual when Cato prowled towards her on long legs. The boy had the audacity to rest his hands on her shoulders, selectively oblivious to the way she tensed up and shot him a stony-eyed glower.

'Come on, Katniss. There's shy and then there's sly. Don't think I don't know what you're doing. But maybe this will make you change your tack. It's my last day here. Let me make it the happiest of your life.'

Katniss tried to squirm away. Cato leaving would definitely be a key ingredient to immediate happiness, if only he would hurry up and get that part over with. 'Why is it your last day?'

'Who cares about that? Humour me here.' He teased Katniss's plait from the inside of her collar. 'I like your braid and everything, but you need to let your hair down once in a while. I can help.'

_He thinks he's a real wordsmith_, Katniss griped to herself. 'Tell me honestly why you're leaving or I won't even consider your offer.'

She had him there. For a fragment of time, there was a chink in Cato's cocksure demeanour, allowing Katniss to peek right through into childlike shame. Then the fissure closed and the boy played himself again. 'The tour guide company let me go, no problem.'

'Why?'

'Those oversensitive Capitolites at the top, they had a bit of an issue about how I was running things. What can you do? They need to cover their asses if they want this to continue.'

'Oh crap, did you _satisfy_ your clients?'

'What? Hell no. Do you think I'd be into women who inject jewels and other gross shit into their rainbow skin?'

'Then what did you do?'

'That minor coal mine collapse _ages_ ago came back to bite me in the ass. I had nothing to do with it anyway. It was that woman with the pink hair, the one obsessed with manners, but no-one's calling her to court.'

'They're summoning you to court?'

'Nothing major. I'm heading back to Two to be tried and what do they care about a tiny cave-in in a shitty little mine somewhere, no offence? I wouldn't have even been called out on it in the first place if that crabby old lawyer hadn't encouraged those miners to sue.'

So, Mr Abernathy hadn't been lying when he'd said that he had things to do. Katniss allowed herself to feel some guilt for a short moment.

A hobbling, white shape on the murky grey of the river surface drew Katniss's eye.

'So, Katniss, what do you say?'

She extricated herself from his pawing grasp, leaning on the wall and watching as an unsteady procession of swans slipped and slid out from under the bridge. Katniss couldn't hide a giggle, her mirth stealing out of her mouth in crystalline clouds when she saw how those universally graceful creatures waddled on the ice. A human figure emerged after them, looking very much in danger of falling over himself, driving them coaxingly upstream.

'Sorry,' Peeta called to at her once he was far enough out of the bridge's shadow to be seen clearly, 'this was the best I could do.'

'Your dedication to the job astounds me,' Katniss remarked flatly, though she hoped that he could see the small smile on her face from all the way down there.

'Who's that?' Cato asked.

'That's Peeta.'

'Yeah, the bakery brat, but who is he?'

'Who's that?' Peeta called up to her. 'Is that the tour guide guy that got the mine blown up?'

Cato rushed to the edge of the bridge and sneered down at him. 'There was no blowing up. A few rocks fell over and the miners had a hissy fit. What the hell is it to you?'

'Whoa now.' Peeta held his arms up in a placating gesture. 'No need to be belligerent.'

'Belligerent, what the hell did you just call me, squirt?'

'Trust me, he wasn't insulting you,' Katniss told him tiredly. 'If he was, he'd be courteous enough to make it easy so you'd know about it.'

'I don't have time for this blue-eyed pretty boy getting in the way,' Cato growled, and suddenly he was too near Katniss again, his hands finding their way to her waist. Katniss clenched her hands together to stop herself from whirling around and clawing his eyes out.

'Do I have to spell it out for you? No, no way, no chance in hell, begone.'

'Don't touch her like that,' Peeta called up.

'Butt out, baker boy.'

'All you have to do is look at her and see she isn't interested.'

'As if you know what–'

A compacted ball of snow arced through the air and landed perfectly between Cato's eyes. Katniss covered her mouth, partly out of shock, partly out of hilarity.

'What the hell man?'

'Thought you needed to cool off,' Peeta told him.

'Oh yeah? Cool this off!'

Cato charged to the end of the bridge and skidded down the slope to the water's edge. Peeta swore and ran in the other direction, clumsy as a new-born foal until he made it back onto firm, snowy land. The river divided them, but it went unnoticed as the two boys stared each other down, even with a flock of trumpeting swans sliding about on its surface.

From her elevated viewpoint, Katniss marked their discrepancy in size. Peeta was by no means short – he had a healthy, medium-height stature – but Cato was a giant. To quiet the rising anxiety somewhere inside her, she reminded herself of how strong Peeta was. 'I'd be careful if I were you, Cato,' she yelled. 'He's a wrestling champion.'

With dexterous hands, Peeta began to assemble an artillery of snowballs. Cato, after shrugging off Katniss's taunts, opted to pick up a great handful of snow and lob it at Peeta. It scattered like powder metres before it reached his adversary, coating the frozen no-mans-land with a light layer.

Peeta laughed. 'Quick tip, buddy. Compacted snow travels further.' He caught Cato square in the jaw with his next throw. 'Why do you think people take the trouble of rolling snowballs in the first place?'

It only took a short rally of offensive snowballs before Cato snapped.

'You smug little dick. Fight like a real man fights.'

He lunged across the river, the swans hissing at him as he passed by, but Peeta darted away.

'Hey, let's not let this come to real blows. I don't want to fight.'

'Worried you can't handle me?'

Peeta briefly looked up at Katniss. 'I can handle you just fine.'

'Peeta!' Katniss screamed as Cato dove for him.

Cato must have drastically outweighed him, and there was no doubt that he was extremely strong, but it only took a brief moment of struggling before Peeta had him pinned. Katniss slammed her fist down on the bridge's barrier with a fierce grin.

Then Cato whispered something in Peeta's ear and his iron grip loosened. Cato seized this slip in concentration and reversed their positions. He threw a punch, which Peeta caught, and Katniss didn't stick around to see what happened next as she was running, down the bridge and towards the fight. Cupped in her hands was a heap of snow she had gathered from the ledge, and when she got in close enough range, she launched it at Cato's face before launching herself onto his back. Peeta wasted a couple of seconds gaping in awe as Katniss tackled him to the ground, but after that he was helping, staying Cato's thrashing arms.

After Cato lay vanquished, there was a breathless silence between the three of them that Peeta broke with a vibrant blue gaze and quirked lips and a: 'My hero.'

Katniss laughed elatedly. 'You were dying out there. Good thing I was around.'

'Like I said, lifesaver.'

'Oh please,' Cato said from the ground. 'You and Lover Boy better stop before I barf all over myself.'

Katniss patted his head, 'You can hardly talk. Your nauseous flirting has always made me want to kill myself, or you, violently, no offence.'

Katniss and Peeta laughed, the latter sounding rather dumbfounded. Meanwhile, the swans were flying off. Neither of them noticed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>I am grateful to every single reader of this story that I initially thought couldn't really go anywhere. You make this all so worth it.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahschung: <strong>thank you for your continued interest! **Trude: **I'm glad you thought I pulled it off. **Halenahaloway: **I'm so glad you liked it. I've only recently worked out who the true love is myself! Hope he doesn't disappoint. **Wandering princess: **I know right? Critical recruitment error. The Capitol talent thing just...happened, but I'm glad you enjoyed it. About Haymitch's wife, I reckon it's the girlfriend he briefly mentioned that was killed by the Captiol after his defiance in the 50th Hunger Games. The Haymitch we know and partially love - the alcoholism, the innate hostility, the self-imposed isolation - was almost completely formed by that experience, but in this alternate world he's free of all that. I'd like to think that as a regular Twelve citizen, he could have settled down with his childhood sweetheart and raised a family.


	8. Eight maids-a-milking

I'm back on track! The winter solstice chapter is being published on the winter solstice (at least in my time zone). Yus!

* * *

><p><strong>Eight Maids-a-milking<strong>

Katniss had dreamt that night. She and Peeta hid beneath a bridge of ice, snickering and clutching at each other as Cato paced its length in search of her, occasionally slipping and being overrun by a bustling gaggle of geese and swans.

'He'll find us soon!' Katniss protested.

'No way, Katniss. People come here in order not to be found.'

'Well, what if those people come find us then?'

'This is our spot. Cato can't get to us here. No-one can.'

And suddenly they weren't under a bridge but inside a forest, leaning against a tree trunk instead of an ice wall. She recognised this place, even in the clutches of winter. There was the old shack that had once been her hideaway, garbed in white. There was the lake in which her father had taught her how to swim, frozen over and crowded by skating swans.

Katniss tensed for a moment. Peeta couldn't be here in the most sacred of all places. The woods may be a shrine to living, but this place was a memorial for the dead, her father. This was his space. But Peeta sensed her unease and wrapped his arms around her, stroked her face, kissed her forehead until she was thoroughly defeated. And for once, she couldn't resent losing. She embraced it, embraced him and held on tight.

When Katniss awoke, she couldn't remember a thing about her dream, but the feel of it lingered long after, like a pair of warm, intangible arms cradling her mind.

…

'Good presents yesterday?' Prim asked that morning.

'What?'

'You've been in a good mood since you came back, smiling to yourself, _humming_. If the last few days hadn't happened, I'd be tempted to ask who you were and what you had done with my real sister.'

'The gifts were lovely,' Katniss said quickly.

'Swans, how romantic,' Prim sighed.

'Everything's romantic to you,' Katniss pointed out. 'Even that guy hiding an engagement ring in that bowl of poisoned berries on that weird Capitol drama you like.'

'It was really sweet!'

'I'm sure some other people somewhere think so too. Right, I'm going hunting.'

'Already?'

'It's the shortest day of the year today. Better get it out of the way now while there's daylight. Besides, who knows when Peeta will arrive today? These gift-giving ceremonies are getting longer and longer.'

'All right, if he comes here, I'll tell him where you've gone. He is,' Prim hesitated, 'allowed in the forest, isn't he?'

'Been there done that. I thought I told you.'

'You hardly tell me anything about what you two do. It's like he's a secret that you're hording all to yourself.'

'Then come along with us next time,' Katniss said, though the suggestion was one she regretted immediately. 'You'll see that there's nothing worth reporting.'

'Anything that gets you humming around the house is definitely worth reporting.'

'Whatever, I'm going to get my stuff. I'll leave you to your speculating.'

'I'll relay you with my theories later if you want,' Prim called after her. 'It'll probably involve a lot of you two making out beneath The Bridge.'

Katniss's outraged 'Prim!' carried easily down the stairs.

…

She heard him approach a good minute before she saw him. Katniss had seen Peeta move with speed and grace during his wrestling tournaments, but his tread was so heavy out here. She would have to train that out of him. Why was she speaking as if he would be coming here often?

'Thanks Peeta for scaring all the game away,' Katniss said to him with a bright smile. Peeta wasn't a secret, but their combined victory over Cato yesterday felt like one. It had a special grin, a knowing crinkle of the eyes, and when Peeta saw hers, he stopped – spellbound – in his tracks before returning it tenfold.

'I'm just that popular,' he responded good-naturedly.

'So, what's on the roster today?'

And his smile fell.

'What's wrong,' Katniss asked cautiously. After all, it took a lot to cull that irrepressible smile completely.

He quickly plastered a faded imitation of his usual beams across his face. 'Nothing, well, not nothing. To be honest, my employer is starting to piss me off with the gifts he's sending.'

Katniss touched his arm, handling him as if this big, blond sweet boy was a rogue fox. 'Remember, they're all based on a song, a carol.'

'When has that ever excused the gifts in your eyes?'

They coolly met each other's challenging stare, then Katniss said, 'I need to take these back,' she gestured to her generous catch of squirrels and rabbits, 'and then we could go and see this gift.'

'Ok, fine.' This half-hearted version of Peeta unsettled her. She could only hope that he'd be restored to himself soon.

…

Today's gift was eight cows from District Ten, each under the charge of an adolescent girl. Katniss didn't see any immediate problems with this; that was until Peeta started talking.

'Could you tell Katniss what you told me about the milking?'

'To be brief, we can't,' said one girl.

'They're dried out. We calve these cows in the winter, meaning soon, and we can't milk these cows a good two months before they breed. It could damage any future offspring,' another girl elaborated.

'So no milk. The one thing we were meant to achieve today and it's not happening. Sometimes, I wish my employer would take a moment to really look at the world instead of making thoughtless commands based on the fleeting glimpses he does manage to see.'

A disheartened Peeta was one thing, but this agitated side to him was even more unnerving. It edged him with humanity where before he had been an incorruptible dream. Katniss found their roles reversing and herself trying to employ the optimism she so deeply linked to him.

'They are very lovely cows though,' she murmured.

The District Ten girls nodded uncertainly; Peeta looked unmoved. Katniss marked up her first try at positivity as a failure. Still, she tried again.

'At least they aren't birds again. We've sure seen enough of those in recent times.'

Peeta looked at her to continue, one eyebrow raised. It looked very much like a stare that she would aim at him.

'Erm, do I have to keep these?'

'No, sorry, these cows belong to District Ten farms. We were just told to come down for the day.'

'That's excellent,' Katniss said. 'Truly fantastic. No hassle, no frantic search to find them a home. Well, you can stay around for a while or head back to Ten. Whatever you fancy. Peeta and I will…just go over here and…yeah.'

'What is your problem?' Katniss asked as soon as she had led him aside.'

'I just want it to be good for you, ok? I want you to enjoy it. And this ass who claims he loves you acts like he can't even see you, what you like, what you need. He just struggles on blindly, churning out gift after awful gift, expecting to swoop in at the end of the process and collect your adoration like it's his birth right. It genuinely pisses me off, Katniss.'

A storm didn't belong in those sky-blue eyes, and yet Katniss didn't think she was capable of allaying it. 'Hey, forget about the gifts. I don't care about the gifts, ok?'

'So this is all just a big nuisance for you?'

'No, not anymore. I…' Katniss took a deep breath before baring her soul, 'as much as I complain about everything, I do enjoy this. Just not because of the gifts.'

'Then what could possibly–?'

'You, meathead! Did you have to be so slow on the uptake that I had to spell it out myself? You make this whole crazy thing' _fun, absorbing, exhilarating, _'bearable. You make the crappiness of the gifts so much easier to deal with. Look,' she held up her hand, 'you've even got me wearing that mockingjay ring. You always put your own spin on something that I would just see head on. So who cares what your employer sends as long as you're there to make sure it turns out all right.'

Peeta's smile was back, its corners peeking up insubordinately from behind his scarf. 'Thanks, Katniss.' His arms came up, stuttered back to his sides, repeated the motion. Then he garnered some courage from somewhere and pulled Katniss into a hug. It took a while for Katniss to find that same well of bravery, but when she did, she let her hands rest against his broad back. Peeta was at the perfect height to cradle her forehead with his clavicle, but he had to duck slightly to speak into her ear.

'Er, Katniss, you know we have loads of milk and butter and cream at the bakery. Maybe we could head over there and make something out of them.'

Katniss drew back and looked at him soberly. 'I don't want to set fire to your kitchen.'

'No, you wouldn't. I'd be there the whole time. Just call me damage control.'

'All right, I mean, if isn't making any trouble for you. Your mom–'

'Forget about my mom. I want you to go, and you'll find at least half of my family are decent enough people to welcome you there. That makes three against two. Do you want to go?'

Despite herself, Katniss laughed. 'What about the other half?'

'You've gathered how much of a sweetheart my mother is, and Ry can be all right. Do you want to go?'

'All right, all right. Let's go and bake things.'

'Sweet,' Peeta said with a giant grin, neglecting to remove one of his arms as he guided her off.

'Very amusing. Oh yes, where's your hat?'

'I left it behind with the signing sheet. I didn't know if today counted.'

'Every day counts.'

…

The bakery had always been one of the more inviting Merchant shops, boasting a generous store space and wall-to-wall shelves stacked with sweet delights. Still, Katniss had always felt like a criminal when entering it at Prim's urging, undeserving of the little luxuries that taunted her eyes and nose. Being frogmarched in by the baker's son did little to help, especially when the numerous browsers turned to greet him.

'Good morning, Mrs Coyle. How's the knee? Excellent. Mr Cartwright, hello. The tart or the muffin. That's a tough one, they're both delicious, but the muffin will definitely be warmer in your hands if you're planning to head back into the cold right after your purchase.' All the while, he had his hands on Katniss's shoulders, steering her toward the counter.

'Peeta!' a mob of excitable children huddle around his, and consequently Katniss's, legs.

'Hey guys, are you here for the cupcakes?'

'Yus!'

'All right.' He leaned over the counter and called to the back of the bakery. 'Bran, you actually keeping shop here?'

A young man, who looked remarkably like Peeta with a beard, hurried up to the counter with a tray in each hand. 'And the prodigal son returns,' he remarked as he set them down. 'Move out of the way, Peeta. I've got people to serve, lives to improve.'

'I'm glad you've finally realised that,' Peeta retorted.

'Button up, baby brother. We'll talk about you, and her,' he pointed at Katniss, who folded her arms, 'later. Especially her. All right, kids. What will it be today?'

The kids all began clamouring at once, gesturing at the cupcake designs and rationalising their decisions in raised voices. Katniss almost stepped back, overwhelmed, but remembered that Peeta was right behind her.

'All right, a rainbow for Poppy, a sunshine for Demeter, a lion for Jaq and a dragon for Mason.'

The children were too small to reach with their coins, so Peeta collected them and transferred them onto the counter. Katniss drew the short straw and tentatively handed out the cupcakes to the grabbing, chattering children. She frowned long before they did. Even she noticed that they weren't up to their usual calibre.

'This doesn't look like a dragon,' Mason said, lips trembling as he eyed the red icing blob that sat atop his cupcake.

'That's what makes him so dangerous,' Peeta hissed as he knelt beside the little customer. 'He's the rarest of all dragons and the cleverest. Because when you don't look like a dragon, you can trick people into thinking you aren't one. Those people stop being suspicious; they stop being scared. They don't send knights after this fella, no sir.' Mason giggled at this. 'And when he gets close, they don't even notice, until he _pounces!_' He grabbed Mason around the stomach, and the boy shrieked with laughter.

'All right, very good,' Bran piped up as the rest of the store's patrons turned to look at them.

Peeta released the laughing child, who quickly went on the brandish the cupcake at his friends and declare: 'I've got the best cupcake ever!'

The others quickly contended this, chasing him out of the shop where they could wreak havoc somewhere else. Peeta, still on the floor, chuckled after them before looking up at Katniss with the most brilliant smile. Katniss didn't agree with how much it affected her. _How much of that dragon story was made up, Peeta, and how much of it was you? I forget myself around you. I stop being scared. I'm letting you close. Will you pounce? _

'Everything ok, Katniss?'

'Yeah.'

'Let's go behind the counter.'

'We're missing you in the kitchen, buddy,' Bran told Peeta as the pair slipped into the back of the store. 'None of us ham-fisted manly men can ice those cupcakes like you can.'

'I'll get onto it. Come on, Katniss.'

Katniss was dragged into the kitchen, a realm of metal and flour and heat and glorious smells. It was surreal to delve inside Peeta's world after he had spent so long inside hers, had become a fixture in it. Just being here, enfolded in the workings of his daily life, made her perspective of him deepen.

'Hey, Dad.'

Peeta's father, yet another blond and brawny Mellark, looked up from the oven he was currently depositing pretzels in.

'Peeta,' the man nodded.

'This is my friend, Katniss. You know, the one I told you about.'

'Hello.' He nodded again.

'Man of few words,' Peeta said. 'I guess that means I take after my mother.'

'Thank the heavens that you damn well don't,' Bran said as he rushed in. 'Those brownies ready yet, Dad? I'm rushing about like a loon because my two considerate brothers are always disappearing when I need them most,' Bran told Katniss.

'Another five minutes,' Mr Mellark said.

'Do we have a dearth of Mellarks?' Peeta asked.

'A full-on drought. That's something I'm working on fixing. Get to work, Peet. You too, Katniss. As you have set foot in this kitchen, you're now a Mellark.'

'I…'

'Let me get Ry.' He rushed out into the small corridor before calling up a set of stairs that Katniss supposed led to the living quarters. 'Ryland Mellark! Get your ass down here and man the counter like you're supposed to.'

'Is Peeta back?'

'Yeah, just arrived.'

'Get him to do it.'

'Peeta's artistic flair is needed in the kitchen.'

The middle brother thundered down the stairs and squinted into the kitchen. He was slimmer than his brothers but just as toned with Mellark ash-blond hair that was tousled a bit too artfully for Katniss's acceptance.

'Who's that? Wait,' a devious grin spread on his face, 'isn't that the girl Peeta–?'

'No!' Bran and Peeta chorused, Bran clapping his hand over his brother's mouth and wheeling him out of the room.

'Coat off,' Peeta said, looking relieved for reasons unknown.

'Am I the girl that what?' Katniss asked, shrugging off her jacket.

'The girl I'm delivering to? Yes you are. You can wash your hands over there. You're going to be helping me ice some cupcakes.'

'I don't think you should entrust me with that. I'm not what you'd call the creative type.'

'Now I doubt that,' Peeta said as he hung up the coats and proceeded to wash his hands as well.

'Brownies.' Peeta's father removed them from the oven and placed them on the kitchen island

'Brownies. Fetch us a couple of aprons please, Katniss. By the door, yeah.'

By the time Katniss had returned with the aprons, Peeta had finished off the whole batch with a flourish of chocolate frosting. When he saw her awestruck expression, he grinned and said, 'I grew up doing this instead of playing with my toys like normal children. Thanks.' He accepted the apron. 'Brownies, Bran!'

'Brownies!' Bran's bellow preceded him. 'Got them.' And he charged out again.

'Is it always this crazy?'

'This is a busy hour. All right, icing.' Peeta laid out the piping bags while Katniss struggled with her apron. He laughed. 'Here.' He tied the apron for her, deft fingers pressing lightly into the small of her back. 'Ok, I'm going to start needing some red, some dark green and some light blue in a few. That means we need to make them now. Here, I'll show you what to do. First, you'll need butter, icing sugar and milk, funnily enough.'

Under Peeta's patient guidance, she measured out ingredients, sieved, stirred, folded, divided, tinted and sloppily loaded the mixtures into piping bags. Still, she couldn't help being distracted by the beautiful designs Peeta piped onto the cupcakes, elaborate flowers and animal figures. Many told a story. The cupcake's surface could become a mirror-smooth pond that exotic fish chased each other through; it could be the inside of a bird's nest populated with delicate, dappled, perfect eggs. One of them became an icy lake with ungainly swans struggling across its surface.

When Katniss saw the finished result, she laughed and Peeta did too, causing Mr Mellark to look up from his work with a curious stare.

'What are you kids giggling about?' Bran asked, swaggering over. 'Oh Peety, what beautiful cupcakes.' He pulled Peeta against him with an arm around his neck and gave him an exaggerated kiss on the cheek.

'Gross, Bran! Get off!'

Katniss laughed at their antics, settling into relative comfort among the Mellark clan.

'What's this one?' Bran asked, gesturing to the swans on the lake.

'You wouldn't understand,' Peeta said grandly.

'Oh, is it one of your cosmic metaphors for life?'

'Let's go with that.'

Ry burst into the kitchen. 'Capitol alert! I repeat, Capitol alert!'

'Go, Peeta.' Bran shoved him in the back. 'You're our sacrifice.'

'Why me?'

'You're the patient, diplomatic one,' Bran called back. When Peeta had left, muttering furiously about brotherly violence, Bran turned to Katniss. 'He's the eye candy,' Bran admitted, grinning when Katniss clamped her mouth shut and fought down a flush. 'So, Katniss, we've been hearing a lot about you recently.'

'You have?'

'In other words, Peet won't shut up about you, or that mystery employer of his. Though that unlucky man only receives highly inventive bitching these days. Easy on the sugar, that's it. You're pretty good at this. First time?'

'Yeah.'

'Last time?'

Katniss chuckled wryly. 'Maybe not, if he'll have me.'

'Oh, he'll have you,' Bran muttered to himself.

'What?'

'Look, Katniss,' and his gregarious nature had completely dematerialised, 'you seem like a very nice girl beneath all the…the protective front, but I'm going to be honest with you here. I don't know what you're planning with Peeta. I don't think you know yourself. But if you're waiting around for that "true love" character of yours, don't let Peeta get caught in the crossfire.' Katniss looked like she was about to protest, but he pushed on. 'Yeah, I know you have your own problems, your doubts and insecurities, but I have to say this because I've known you a couple of hours and him for his whole life. I still remember when he'd come running to me every time he scraped his knee or burnt his hand on the oven. I freaking miss that kid who relied on me so much, but the man he's growing up to be is better than I could have ever thought. So for both of your sakes, choose. Choose him or leave him. No giddy in between. You deserve him, I think, and he deserves you. I'll, er, leave you to think over it.'

Katniss spent the next half hour stirring her icing and gnawing absently at her lip, trying to decipher the first thing Bran had said to her. Caught in the crossfire? A female figure appeared in the kitchen entrance, sporting shoulders just as broad as any of her three sons. She glared at Katniss in true distaste before walking on to enter the storefront.

'The scariest woman alive is the Capitolites' new chaperone,' Peeta said as he strode back into the kitchen.

Katniss allowed herself a small sigh of relief at the sound of his voice.

'She was tiny, but vicious,' Peeta told her, coming to stand beside her. 'I'm pretty sure she was carrying knives in her belt.'

Katniss's laugh was shaky at best.

'What happened?'

_I don't know_. 'Your mom's pretty terrifying herself.'

Peeta grew serious. 'What did she say?'

'Nothing! Nothing, she just…the way she looked at me…'

'I understand that,' Peeta said with a humourless smile.

'I think I've outstayed my welcome.'

'Katniss,' Peeta beguiled her with his eyes so she couldn't look away, 'please don't pay any attention to how she looked at you. It doesn't matter. I want you here, and I think that's enough.' When she said nothing, just gawped at him, he said, 'Do you want hot chocolate?'

'What's that?'

'You've never heard of hot chocolate? I'll have to rectify that immediately.'

'Immediately,' Mr Mellark repeated, and Katniss almost jumped off of her seat.

Hot chocolate was the most beautiful thing known to man, but the cupcakes Peeta had made for Katniss to take home were a close second: dynamic, vivid renderings of butterflies and birds and slinking cats.

'It's so dark out. Do you want me to walk you home?' Peeta asked.

She should say no in light of all she had heard today: candid tales of hidden dragons and talks of choosing, leaving, losing. But what she could remember most about today was the way he had looked when he thought he had failed her and the way he had held her when she convinced him otherwise.

'Yes. I'd like that.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Originally the cows were going to be goats, one of them ending up in Prim's possession, but I got so absorbed by the Mellark bakery that I changed my mind. I also tried to find some alternative names for the Mellark brothers. I think the fanon names are pretty much as good as they're going to get.

**Passionismywriting: **Thank you so much! I'd very much like to know where this is going as well! **Anonymous: **Cato was fun to write. I just imagined the most uncomfortable, trite things for him to say and typed them out. The swans make a funny mental image indeed. I YouTubed. Yes, had to establish Katniss's role as the action queen, even in this universe. I had half a mind to set this chapter at her father's pond like you guessed, but I didn't think Katniss was ready yet, and I'd be hard-pressed to spirit Cato there.


	9. Nine ladies dancing

This took way too long to write, but I hope you enjoy the end product! Thank you for your support.

* * *

><p><strong>Nine Ladies Dancing<strong>

'Everything all right, Katniss darling?'

They were better now than they had been, Katniss and her mother, but that didn't mean that teenage woes and maternal counsels flowed freely between them as they should have. Mrs Everdeen was still working hard, overstating her motherly intentions, trying to compensate for the months in which she had abandoned her daughters, become a human shell.

'Yeah,' Katniss said. She was perched on one of the rocking chairs, swinging herself into a stupor. 'Actually no. Mom, can I ask you something?'

Mrs Everdeen looked at her with such hope, such readiness, that Katniss thought she might be doing the right thing. Though she knew the question would be hard.

'When did you realise that you loved Dad?'

'Oh,' Mrs Everdeen's smile was tight, her eyes moving furtively about the room, 'well, it's hard to remember exactly when to be completely honest.'

'But why? Didn't it change your whole life?'

'Yes,' her mother replied, smiling softly.

'Then how can you forget that?'

'It wasn't something momentous. There weren't any grand gestures. It was just a sum of lots of little things, little ways we affected each other. Realising I loved him was just the last piece fitting into place. That piece completed us, but it was no bigger than any of the others.'

'Then how could you tell? How did you know it was love?'

'I was happy,' Mrs Everdeen replied. Her voice sounded wet with emotion. Katniss usually tried to avoid her mother when her voice got like that, but this time she stayed put.

'People can be happy without being in love,' Katniss dismissed.

'That's a different kind of happiness. The happiness you get from love isn't always as obvious, as potent. It isn't tied to one moment and washed away by the next. It's overarching, it stays no matter what happens to you.'

_Until your love dies,_ Katniss thought. _And then it destroys you, makes you leave everyone else you're supposed to care about to fend for themselves._

'It's not the same for everyone,' Mrs Everdeen told her knowingly. 'Your father and I fell so slowly we didn't know we were falling, but we fell deep. And that's how we lived, the same way we fell in love. But others love quickly, suddenly, the awareness of love hits them strongly. And there are some who don't even realise that they could love in that way until it happens to them. That has its own sort of impact.'

Katniss looked up at her with clouded grey eyes.

'What's the matter, darling?'

Katniss shook her head and drew her knees up under her chin. 'Nothing, I just…' She remembered every challenging thing that Bran had said, and Mr Abernathy, and Prim. She couldn't answer them. She couldn't answer herself.

Mrs Everdeen kneeled in front of her, careful not to touch her. 'Oh Katniss, these past days have been hard. They're making you change, and that frightens you. It's always frightening at first.'

'I'm not frightened,' Katniss lied.

'I was a teenage girl once too. And while you might not agree, I know my daughter. I know when she's afraid, long after she's learned to hide it. I just want to say: don't overthink it, don't fight it. Whatever happens with this true love of yours, orPeeta, you'll know how to face it. You always do.'

Katniss let her mom take her hand and squeeze, and to Mrs Everdeen, that allowance was something greater than any words of acknowledgement could offer.

…

The sun was setting by the Peeta knocked on the door. Katniss smiled at him when she opened it, not knowing when that had become the natural thing to do. He grinned back, but the familiarity of the scene was marred by the three strangers that stood behind him. And not just any strangers either. With their dyed hair and tinted skin and outlandish clothes, they couldn't be from anywhere but the Capitol.

'Are Prim and Mrs Everdeen home?' Peeta asked as he stepped inside. Katniss had to mask her distrustful glower as the Capitolites followed him, goggling at the interior of her house as if it were a museum display.

'Yeah, I'll get them if you want.'

'That would be great, thanks.'

Katniss lingered slightly, regarding the Capitol folk as if they were vipers in her nest and wondering if she could possibly leave them unattended here. Then Peeta flashed her a gentle smile, and she nodded and left. If these people were a threat, he wouldn't have let them near her house.

'Hi, Peeta!' Prim chirped. 'Thank you for those cupcakes yesterday. They were so beautiful!'

'So beautiful I had to persuade her to eat them just to restore peace to the house,' Katniss groused. 'Before that, it was "I'll eat them,"' Katniss thrust out her hand, before withdrawing it again, '"No, I won't. But they look so yummy, I have to eat them. But they're so pretty, I can't. Yes, I can. No, actually, I can't." For three hours.'

'Katniss,' Prim pouted, 'it wasn't that bad.'

'_Three hours_.'

'How did she convince you in the end?' Peeta asked.

'Not very fairly.'

Katniss grinned. 'I set Buttercup in front of them in order to witness his cupcake-eating prowess for myself. Unfortunately for Buttercup, Prim had eaten the whole lot before he'd even bared his fangs. The poor cat didn't stand a chance.'

'Brilliant,' Peeta said.

'Not brilliant,' Prim insisted.

Peeta nodded contritely. 'Not brilliant.'

'Hey, you're meant to be on my side.'

Peeta smiled sheepishly beneath the combined imploring stares of the Everdeen sisters and tactfully shuffled toward the door. 'Well, my bit's done for today. I'll be leaving you in the capable hands of Venia,' he gestured to the blue-haired Capitolite with golden tattoos adorning her forehead, 'Octavia,' he indicated the plump, pea-green woman, 'and Flavius.' The man had mad, ginger curls and was wearing lipstick of all things, a purple shade that made him look as if he had eaten a handful of berries and neglected to wash his mouth.

'What do they do?' Prim asked excitedly.

'What do we do?' Flavius asked. 'We are artists, like sculptors with live stone, painters with breathing canvases.'

Prim stared emptily at them.

'In other words, hair and makeup,' Peeta said, before wrenching open the door and fleeing.

'Peeta, don't leave us–!' Katniss began, but the door slammed midsentence.

'So, where can we set up? Venia, the most assertive of them it seemed, asked. For the first time, Katniss noticed the briefcase that each Capitolite carried with a distinct feeling of dread.

'What about the living room?' Mrs Everdeen suggested.

'Mom!' Katniss hissed. How could her mother betray her like this?

The two blondes guided the Capitol team into the designated room, foaming with courtesies and poorly hidden excitement. Katniss skulked in after them, as if her slow gait could render her invisible. No luck there.

'And here's the girl of the hour,' Flavius declared. 'Stand there, let's see what we have to work with.'

Katniss hunched in on herself, a non-verbal representation of "not a lot". Venia wasn't having any of this. 'We are going to make you shine! All of you.'

Prim jumped on the spot, clapping her hands.

They were sat side by side on the couch, watching with various degrees of enthusiasm as the three Capitolites unpacked their cases.

'I think we're going to need hair-removal treatments for these clients,' Venia was discussing with Octavia. 'They don't seem the kind to take care of those sorts of things for themselves.'

'Poor dears,' Octavia commiserated.

'Is there are bathroom I can use?' Venia asked Mrs Everdeen, holding up two fistfuls of creams and unfriendly looking metal utensils.

_Of course we have a bathroom, but no, you can't use it_.

'Yes, up the stairs.'

'You first, please.' Venia looked to Katniss officiously. 'Octavia and Flavius will sort out your hair and basic makeup,' she informed the other Everdeens. She packed her materials back into her case and marched with purpose up the stairs. After a firm shove from her traitorous mother and sister, Katniss followed.

'If you would strip down to your underwear, please,' Venia said once they were inside the bathroom.

'_What?_'

'Our clients typically undergo this process naked, but in consideration of your peculiar cultural upbringing,' _Oh, _we're_ peculiar, _Katniss thought, 'I've made this concession.'

Katniss spent a few more minutes trying to protest, but it was like reasoning with an infuriated Gale. The woman may have been born into the non-threatening world of the Capitol, but there was iron in her usually only unearthed in harsher environments.

When Venia saw the amount of hair on Katniss's limbs, she had to claw at her mouth to prevent herself from shrieking. 'How do you survive like this?'

'As well as the next person, I think.'

'This all needs to come off.'

Katniss folded her arms protectively, which had an added bonus of covering her plain bra. 'I need it, for insulation.'

'Forget insulation. Insulation doesn't make you look fabulous.'

'What exactly do I need to look fabulous for?'

'You'll see,' Venia said with a short yet chilling cackle.

To her credit, Katniss gritted her teeth and didn't scream once throughout the whole hair-removal treatment, and by the time the session was over, Venia was looking at her with a newfound respect. 'All right, clothes back on and head downstairs. Send the next person up.'

As much as Katniss hated to admit it, her mother and sister were currently having the time of their lives, and that warmed her heart just slightly. Mrs Everdeen went upstairs next, passing Katniss with a face whose beauty Katniss barely recognised as her mother's. Katniss took the vacated spot and looked across at Prim. Her little sister was smiling radiantly, her lovely golden curls teased into a streamlined half up half down hairstyle. Then she turned back as Octavia began to pat her face with an odd pink powder that matched her skin tone.

They had propped a mirror she didn't recognise against the wall opposite her so she could watch as Flavius stepped behind her and examined her braid.

'You have such lovely, straight hair,' he told Katniss, although Katniss was sure that his elaborate, corkscrew ringlets had been painstakingly engineered. 'I suppose you keep it up in this braid all the time.'

'It's practical.'

Flavius tutted, his fingers already untying the braid. 'Not for today, it isn't.'

'What's happening today?'

Upstairs, Mrs Everdeen had begun to scream.

'I'm sorry, darling. I can't. I just can't.' He let Katniss's hair fan around her shoulders. 'Look at that. Stunning. You really should take more care of it.'

'Don't have the time,' Katniss murmured as he began to brush.

'There is always time for hair.'

All Katniss could do was sit and try not to fidget as Flavius rubbed creams into her scalp and sprayed mists into her hair until it fell thick and glossy around her face. Then he plaited a few finger-width braids here and swept it all up into a sleek updo.

'What do you think?'

Katniss considered her reflection, turning her head left and right. 'It's nice,' she said softly.

'Success!' Flavius crowed. 'Now, after Octavia's finished with that little darling over there, you can have your face done. And your nails,' he added, grimacing unrestrainedly when he noticed how unkempt they were.'

'How do I look, Katniss?' Prim asked once she had been released from Octavia's green clutches.

'Wow, Prim,' Katniss breathed, 'is that you?'

'Yes!' Prim squealed, and she looked so pretty and mature and radiant with happiness that Katniss supposed this whole experience wasn't so bad after all. Not if it could make her sister smile and love herself like that.

'Mind your hair up there,' Katniss told her in a moment of feminine concern as her sister walked to the stairs, the ornate, blonde arrangement swinging behind her. 'You have to take the dress off.'

'Undoes at the back,' Prim reassured her.

'There, now you're getting into the spirit of things,' Flavius told Katniss triumphantly.

Octavia took her down the final stretch, setting her before a mirror identical to the one before and examining her face. 'There's something there. I'll bring you down the beauty base zero.'

'What's that?'

'Just the foundations, something to smooth the skin, bring out the eyes, shape the lips. It enhances what you already have and gives us a good canvas to apply more stylistic makeup later on.'

'Why can't you just do all the makeup now?' Katniss asked incredulously.

Octavia easily matched her tone. 'Before we even know what dress you'll choose? What if the lipstick clashes? What if the ambiance is completely incompatible? It is never done that way, never done.'

Katniss sat in subdued silence as Octavia tended to her face and nails, while her mother sat on the other side of the couch, smiling dreamily as Flavius styled her hair. The young huntress had never known the kind of exhaustion that hit her after the primping was done, but it took a turn for the worst when the front door was opened and yet more strangers piled into the house. In this case, "yet more" translated as two mocha-skinned stylists, a man and a woman, who elected to wear chic, black, simple attire that Katniss infinitely preferred. Each wheeled a rack of what Katniss assumed were clothes, trussed up in black bags to protect them from the snowfall.

Without ceremony, the Everdeens were bundled up the stairs and divided, Katniss propelled into her bedroom by Venia and the male stylist, her family accompanied into the other bedroom by the rest of the Capitol posse.

'Hello, Katniss, my name is Cinna and I will be your stylist this afternoon.'

'He's a top fashion designer in the Capitol,' Venia whispered in Katniss's ear. 'You're so lucky.'

The man acted as if he hadn't heard, smiling pleasantly as he sized his latest project up. There was only the faintest hint of the Capitol on him in the gold that lined his eyes, and his voice was subtle and mellow, so unlike the nasal, clipped inflections that most Capitolites used.

'How has your day been today?' Cinna asked, as he whipped out dresses at light speed, holding them against her before discarding them as unsuitable.

'My house has been invaded by overzealous Capitolites who tried their best to skin me alive, but apart from that, it's been a hoot.'

Venia tutted, but Cinna laughed. 'We must seem so strange to you.'

'Yeah, but you're the first Capitolite I've met who's realised that you're just as alien to us as we are to you.'

'You need to meet more Capitolites then. They certainly aren't all as blind to the world as you seem to think they are. This dress is the one.'

He held it up, a resplendent creation of sunset orange. Venia helped Katniss to put it on, taking extra care with her hair, and fastened the matching cape that cloaked her down to her elbows. The material was unbelievably silky, holding her snugly by the torso but floating around her legs, supple as liquid. Venia converged on her with a palette of warm, autumnal colours and touched up her face.

'You'll look like fire among the snow tonight,' Cinna told her.

'I'll feel like an icicle though,' Katniss retorted, albeit lightly. The man was too likeable by a half.

'I wouldn't count on that.'

Prim and Mrs Everdeen were already waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Her mother was almost unrecognisable in a cornflower blue dress that restored the brilliance to her blue eyes, and Prim was transcendent in white. But they both gaped up at her in awe and as she awkwardly manoeuvred her long skirt down the stairs.

'Katniss, you look amazing!'

'You're so beautiful, darling.'

'Both of you do too,' Katniss mumbled, not stopping until she had reached the hallway mirror. When she saw herself, she was immobilised. The stunning girl that gazed back at her could be a hero, the princess of Prim's fairy tales. But she didn't really look like Katniss, and that was what she wanted to be.

'Your carriage awaits,' Cinna said, opening the front door. Outside was a car, a real car, sleek and black like a panther.

'This is the best day ever!' Prim announced, slipping on a pair of white, heeled boots and hopping over to the car.

Katniss's were a deep, earthy brown and pleasantly surprised Katniss with their ability to accommodate her light step. 'You're coming?' she asked with mild relief as Cinna slipped into the car behind the Everdeen girls.

'The others have to clean up, but I'll be there briefly to ease you into the situation.'

'What about Peeta?' Katniss couldn't help but asking.

Cinna shot her a significant smile, but left it at that. The car drove them as far as the town square, which had been transformed into a night-time wonderland. Patterned, globular lanterns and decorative flags had been strung around the perimeter of the square, their orange light softening the harsh monotony of the surrounding buildings. There was already a considerable crowd of people milling about, wolfing down purchases from the impromptu food stalls and debating with each other over what this event could possibly mean.

As the car pulled further into the square, the Twelve residents quickly clearing out of its path, six girls in exquisite dresses glided from the heaving masses and made their way to the centre of the square. A lone fiddle began to play a sprightly tune and the crowd gasped and pointed as the girls began to dance along, each as spry and graceful as a winter bird.

'Six dancers?' Katniss asked as they watched through the window, Prim's face bright with joy.

'No,' Cinna opened the door, all the while gazing meaningfully at them, 'nine.'

'Oh no,' Katniss said.

'Oh yes!' Prim chirped. 'This is so good! Come on, Katniss! Come on, Mom.'

Inevitable attention was turned on them as Prim, with unforeseen strength, dragged them from the car. Katniss felt herself go red beneath the stares, even though she knew she was playing the role of a beautiful girl tonight.

'Have fun, you three,' Cinna said from inside the car.

'And where do you think you're going?' Katniss demanded.

The man chuckled, and suddenly Katniss felt Peeta's absence even more keenly than before. 'I have one more job to take care of. Goodbye, Everdeens, it was lovely to meet you all.'

Katniss would have normally watched his car drive off, looking highly unamused, but the six dancers were skipping closer and she felt too endangered to stand still. The youngest of them, pretty in a light yellow dress that complemented her dark complexion, reached out to Prim and took her by the hands. Together they twirled back into the centre of the square, Prim giggling in delight. A brown-haired girl in sea green seized her mother and did the same. Katniss's nominated captor tried to pull her along, but Katniss wasn't ready to move with her and stumbled along the way.

'Watch your feet, brainless,' the girl snapped.

Katniss had prepared a barbed retort when she was swung wildly around to link hands with another girl, a golden, statuesque beauty that made her feel rather plain in comparison. Not that she cared about such things. The nine of them had now formed a circle, and they skipped round in an anti-clockwise direction to the accompaniment of drums, stopping after every four beats and tapping her feet in a certain pattern. With escape being an unlikely fantasy, Katniss fell to studying the steps until she could mimic them perfectly.

'You're not so bad after all,' the rude girl next to her said.

Katniss looked across the circle to Prim, who was kicking up snow as she went and beaming away. When Katniss caught her eye, the girl began to laugh, and against her better judgement, Katniss laughed too. And actually began to enjoy herself.

…

Everyone in Twelve wanted a dance with one of the girls in the beautiful frocks. Katniss found herself twirling around the square with complete strangers, traders from the Hob, boys she had seen about school. Not everyone recognised her for who she was. Gale danced with her stiffly for a while; Darius took her for a mad frolic across the square, from which Katniss emerged feeling a bit queasy. Little Jett jumped into her arms and trilled as she swung him around. Mr Abernathy transpired to be rather light on his feet.

'Where's Peeta?' he asked.

'I don't know.'

'So find him before he gets swarmed by your aggravating peers.'

'I don't think he's even here.'

'He'd have to be stupid to miss this, to miss you. Is he stupid?'

'No.'

'So find him.'

The dance ended, Mr Abernathy bowed and returned to his beautiful, dark-haired wife. Katniss scanned the crowd for Peeta. She trawled the crowd for him, scoped all the food stalls and deftly dodged all the suitors asking for a turn around the floor. Pulling her cape further around her, she stopped before the stall Mr Mellark was running, supplying the crowd with freshly made doughnuts and piping hot miniature pies.

'Have you seen Peeta?' she asked him.

The man considered her for a moment before pointing over her shoulder. Katniss turned to find Peeta, looking undeniably suave in a fresh green suit, hastening towards her.

'I was kidnapped!' he told her as soon as he was in hearing range. Katniss laughed as he seized her shoulders, dragging in deep breaths.

'What?'

'I was here, wrapping up the decorations for the square–'

'_You_ did this?'

'Yeah, do you like it?'

'Everyone loves it.'

'Great. You see, I didn't get the time to hang around and see everyone's reaction for too long because Cinna ambushed me, dragged me into a car and carted me off into the den of those Capitol artistes.'

Katniss's mirth knew no bounds. 'Justifying the suit.'

Peeta nodded. 'Justifying the suit. I don't understand why this happened. It was just you and the other Everdeens they were meant to dress up, and…'

He paused, taking her in properly for the first time, and the act robbed all words from him.

'Um, Peeta?'

'How did I not see you? How did I do nothing but talk about myself like an idiot with you looking like that, standing right in front of me? Katniss, you look so beautiful tonight.'

Katniss cupped her face with her hands, as if that would stop the blush, and looked at him. She looked fixatedly at the way his styled ash-blond waves fell perfectly into vivid blue eyes, the way his sharp suit accentuated the power in his arms and torso, and said, 'You, erm, look,' _handsome, gorgeous, irresistible,_ 'nice.'

Behind them, Peeta's father cleared his throat and said. 'You should ask her to dance.'

'Oh, yes. Thanks, Dad. Katniss, would you like to?'

'Why not?' Katniss whispered.

It was an impossible task for any appreciative teenager to pry the two apart for the rest of the night. At first, Katniss was tense in his arms, but Peeta soon had her in hysterics as he played the fool, performing the most horrendous dance moves in his repertoire.

'Where did you learn that one?' she asked gaspingly when Peeta ran on the spot, tripped on the crushed snow and fell over.

'My mother,' Peeta told her, accepting her hand up. 'I figured I looked stupid enough in this suit that I might as well go for full humiliation.'

From then on, they gambolled recklessly or glided smoothly, adapting to whatever the small amplified ensemble of violin, flute and tambour drums played. And when they had spent their energy, they retreated to a corner, revolving slowly on the spot, Katniss's forehead finding that comfortable perch on his collarbone again.

There was nothing else to call this but happiness.

'Katniss,' Peeta whispered tenderly, 'are you humming?'

She didn't respond, smiling to herself as she let her voice carry, entwining with the music. Her voice was a gift to him, something that she hoped could pay for even some of this contentment. Gently, Peeta tilted her chin up and rested his own on her shoulder so that her mouth was level with his ear. She sang the melody of the song until it finished, and when it did, Peeta drew back.

'Thank you,' he said. 'I know that was probably hard for you to do in front of me.'

'No, it wasn't,' she corrected. 'Not anymore.'

Peeta kissed her. It was an impulsive kiss, an outlet for too much pent up emotion, but it was as winningly gentle as he was, and Katniss found herself surrendering to it completely. His lips left hers, only to catch her mouth at another angle, skilful and affectionate. Her eyes had just fluttered shut when he withdrew with a harsh breath and scrambled away from her.

'Oh shit, I'm sorry.'

If Katniss had been astonished by the sudden kiss, she was completely disconcerted by its just-as-sudden denial 'What?'

'You are such an idiot,' he was muttering furiously to himself. 'You told yourself you could handle this. You thought you were in control. You shouldn't have taken this job.'

'Peeta.'

'Forget that. Forget the whole thing. I shouldn't have done that.'

'Why?!' Katniss shouted. She should have regulated her volume, exercised the usual control over herself, but she had put her heart into that kiss. She didn't want to be told that it was all for nothing.

'I can't do that to him. He's an ass who doesn't freaking deserve you, but that doesn't mean I can steal you from him. What sort of ass would that make me?'

Katniss's hand cracked across his face. Peeta clutched his cheek, watching her with wide eyes. 'Don't hit me.'

'Don't talk about "stealing" me, as if I'm some stupid object who can't decide anything for herself!' Katniss retaliated. 'I choose, ok? I choose between him and you. And there's no contest, is there?'

'You haven't even met him.'

'That's his problem, not yours. Do you know what Mr Abernathy told me earlier? Your employer shouldn't have sent you – noble, thoughtful, charming you – if he wasn't going to turn up himself.'

'So he made mistakes. That doesn't justify me to kiss you behind his back.'

'Stop being so _good_, Peeta. Act in your own self-interest for once in your life.'

Peeta laughed a breathless, disbelieving laugh into his hands. This wasn't the reaction Katniss had expected or wanted.

'What's so funny?' Katniss asked carefully, ready to withdraw herself. She had already put so much of herself on the line. She was in his hands. Peeta had the power to break her right there and then, and he might even know it.

'I never thought I'd see the day where Katniss freaking Everdeen was trying to convince me to kiss her,' he said, striding towards her, pulling her against him and kissing her again, firmly this time, no coyness left.

'He's going to fire me,' Peeta murmured against her lips.

'You still care about that?' Katniss asked incredulously, releasing the most un-Katniss-like squeak when he gnawed on her lower lip.

'I only wanted to keep the job so I had the excuse to see you every day.'

Katniss smiled giddily up at him before burrowing her face into his chest.

'Does your orange even go with my green?' Peeta asked as he cupped the back of her head.

Katniss looked up at him with one quirked eyebrow. 'You're the artistic genius.'

'Oh yes.'

She shook her head and rested it back on his chest. 'Look at who Prim's dancing with.'

Peeta did. 'Is that one of the Hawthornes?'

'Rory,' Katniss confirmed. 'Who knew?'

'Not me,' he said mildly.

They watched the two kids dancing for a while, bobbing shyly around each other.

'I guess we should be heading back soon. I mean, to our homes.'

'Don't leave,' Katniss said.

'Pardon?'

'If you leave, you'll have time to think things over, reassess the situation, and that annoying conscience of yours will creep back up on you. So you have to stay.'

'Here?'

'I don't know, somewhere. You've got me to like you. Don't throw it away. Stay with me, ok?'

Peeta kissed her temple and held her close. 'Always.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Trude: <strong>Thank you very much! **Anonymous: **I felt that I missed out some opportunities with the milking, but I'm glad you disagree. The Mellarks, at least some of them, needed coverage! And yes, that was indeed Clove.


	10. Ten lords-a-leaping

It definitely feels like I've been writing this for more than ten days. Things have come so far from pear trees left on doorsteps.

No Lords today, I'm afraid, but plenty of leaping...and fluffiness.

* * *

><p><strong>Ten Lords-a-leaping<strong>

When Katniss awoke, the first thing she saw was an eye, bright blue despite the dimness that shrouded her. Her first reaction was to tense, prime her body, scope her person for any potential weapons, but then she remembered.

'Morning,' Peeta murmured lethargically, cupping her face in his hand and kissing her deeply, and Katniss relaxed entirely. She yielded to his bold tongue, feeling in ways that she had never thought possible. She was so aware of herself, and of him, as they mastered each other, grasped the way their partner moved and breathed, acted and reacted.

Eventually, they remembered that they needed air and fell apart, but not too far, taking in their surroundings. After the party had dispersed last night, they had commandeered the curtained gazebo under which the musicians had sat. Peeta's father had nodded understandingly and lent them the woollen blanket that he'd draped over his stall table and a cup of hot chocolate each. Then he had left them to huddle and sip their drinks and work out how they fit together.

'Can I be completely honest with you?' Peeta asked.

'All right,' Katniss hummed. She felt a bit like Buttercup at the moment. Even that grumpy fleabag could purr.

'I'm in love with you. Not just from these ten days, don't worry. You don't have to rush out an insincere reply. I just want to say that I love you and have loved you since we were five years old. It was the first day of school. My dad singled you out as the daughter of the woman who broke his heart. I guess it was inevitable after that.' Peeta slid his hand into Katniss's unravelling hair. 'I can still see you clearly. Your hair was in two braids, not one, and you had this brilliant smile on your face. Even then I thought you were pretty.' Katniss laughed bashfully. 'But I didn't truly fall until you got up in front of the whole year, all smiles and confidence, and sang the Valley Song. You had the most beautiful voice I ever heard. That's when I knew.'

'You knew exactly when?' Katniss whispered, thinking back to her mother's counsel.

'Yes,' Peeta said, resting their foreheads together.

'And you didn't stop loving me once in all those twelve years?'

'Not once.'

The bread. Peeta had spared the loaves and taken the beating for love, even though he had never demanded any favour or affection from her in return. 'But why? Why me? I haven't done anything to keep your interest. I was never one of those bubbly, fun, pretty girls that seemed to hang about you all the time.'

'Maybe that's not what I wanted.'

'You wanted the person I was when I was younger, a carefree songbird.'

'I want the Katniss right here in front of me, even if all she's doing is contesting my declaration of love.' He burrowed his nose into her neck until she was snorting with helpless laughter. 'Besides, you're not so different from that little girl as you think. Look at you, you're like a little giggle machine.'

'You're ruining my hostile front,' Katniss griped.

'I don't just want to ruin it, I want to destroy it.'

'That might take a long while.'

'Twelve more years should sort it out.'

Katniss chuckled and snuggled further into his embrace. 'All right, smartass.' Then she stopped to think. 'But Peeta, if you were…if you were in love we me this whole time, why did you take this job? Why help someone else win me over? Not that you did a good job in doing that.'

He didn't laugh at this like she had come to expect. 'Well, when he first approached me with his offer, I wanted to punch him in the face. You'd think I would have realised that other people could and would fall in love with you like I did. But then he told me his plan, painted this whole picture of all the wonders I could send you on his behalf, and I guess I gave in. I knew I'd never be able to give you those things out of my own pocket, so I took the job. And if you took any joy from it at all, at least I'd have a part in it. It was easier than trying to compete with him.'

'You didn't have to compete anyway. Like I said, there's no competition.'

'And with your scores of other admirers?'

'You don't have any competition anywhere.'

With a radiant grin, Peeta rolled her on top of him and they kissed until a stripe of light fell across them. To their mortification, Mr Abernathy was standing outside their little oasis with one hand propping the curtain open and a wry smile on his face.

'Ah,' he said with dry amusement, 'so that's what's behind here. I suppose you've been making your own sort of sweet music in here, huh.'

'What?! No!' Katniss spluttered, scrambling off Peeta.

'We're clothed,' Peeta insisted, standing to demonstrate. 'Definitely clothed.'

His day-old suit was now wrinkled and misshapen but decidedly on.

'Get your minds out of the gutter,' Mr Abernathy told them. 'I was making a joke there. I was being paronomastically inventive.'

'Oh.' Peeta laughed half-heartedly. 'Good one, sir.'

Mr Abernathy grumbled. 'You're lucky I can just about tolerate the both of you.'

This had Peeta smiling a lot more genuinely.

'The feeling's mutual,' Katniss replied.

'Inspired reply, we'll make a lawyer of you yet. Speaking of lawyers, I'm late to work. Just do me a favour and don't let anyone else catch you out here. I hardly want some fastidious old Merchant hag storming into my office and demanding I prosecute you for public indecency.'

'All right, Mr Abernathy,' Katniss sighed, looking away as her face turned its newly discovered favourite shade of pink.

Peeta caught a different part of the man's discourse. 'Wait, you're late to work? What time is it?'

'Coming up to eleven.'

'Oh…oh man! I have to pick up today's gift! See you later, Katniss.' He pecked her quickly on the lips but lingered longer than he had planned, smiling dopily. 'I can't believe I get to kiss you now.' Katniss leaned in for another kiss to affirm his beliefs, and Mr Abernathy harrumphed somewhere in the background.

'Don't you have somewhere to be, Lover Boy?'

'On it, on it. Bye Katniss, bye Mr Abernathy!'

The two Seam folk looked on rather fondly as Peeta picked up his father's blanket and raced out of the gazebo.

'He's still presenting the gifts?' Mr Abernathy asked.

'He can't not present them, I guess.'

'So you don't alert your mysterious admirer of the truth?'

'Yes.'

'And what happens when the gifts finish and your admirer wants to meet you in person?'

'I…'

'You'll want to think about that in the next few days,' Mr Abernathy hinted. 'If you or Peeta want any help, legally or otherwise, my door will always be open. But first, I need to get there myself. See you around, kid, and be on your guard.'

Katniss stood in the shadowy interior of the gazebo for quite a while before venturing out into the light. The square was stirring with life, and Katniss realised with a sick feeling that any of these bustling pedestrians could have come across her and Peeta during their private moment. The remnants of last night's magic still hung between the buildings of the store-lined square, frail paper constructions that didn't look so magnificent now their flames had died out.

The square opened out onto the merchant high street on one side and the Seam on the other. Katniss turned in the latter's direction. People were pointing at her. Despite her mussed hair and bedraggled orange dress, she was still recognisable as the girl on fire who had been the focus of yesterday's dance. She ignored them, marching quickly on. Then she saw something that made her slow again.

There was a young woman standing in the square that didn't belong. She had to be a Capitolite with her shaved head covered in tattooed vines, but she was alone and gazing pensively up at a string of lanterns. Perhaps she was lost, Katniss reasoned, separated from her party of tourists.

'Excuse me,' Katniss asked as she approached. It was something Peeta would do, she knew. 'Is everything ok?'

'Yes,' the woman replied with more confidence than Katniss had expected.

'Oh, all right. You're not lost or anything?'

'I was just remembering the night. Wasn't that dance a thing to remember? Hang on, you were one of the dancing girls, weren't you?'

'Yes.'

'You were radiant, the whole affair was. District Twelve is like an unpolished diamond.'

'Thank you?'

'My name's Cressida by the way.'

'Katniss.'

They shook hands.

'I, er, should head back to my house soon so that my family don't think I'm dead or something.'

'Out all night?' Cressida grinned knowingly. 'I know the story. I should probably attempt to find my tour group.'

'Good idea,' Katniss asserted, nodding uncomfortably. 'Well, goodbye. Nice to meet you, Cressida.'

'Nice to meet you, Katniss.'

Katniss nodded once more and left, glancing over her shoulder to see that Cressida had returned to gazing up at the lanterns.

…

'Where have you been?' Mrs Everdeen demanded as soon as Katniss entered the house.

'Sorry, Mom.'

Katniss evaded the question and the woman herself, flitting up the stairs. Prim waylaid her in their shared bedroom.

'Where have you _been?_' Prim hissed excitedly.

'Please, Prim,' Katniss groaned.

She removed her shawl, stroking the fabric. Katniss was pretty sure by now that all of her clothing ensemble, and she suspected Peeta's as well, was thermally insulated. It was almost as if Cinna had known that they would spend all night outside.

'I'm not leaving until I get an answer.'

Katniss studied her for a moment, saw the sheer level of intent in her eye, and acquiesced. 'All right, I was with Peeta.'

'The whole time?'

'Yes.'

'And?'

'We talked and danced.'

'Yes, I saw that. But _after _that.'

Katniss folded her arms. 'He kissed me.'

Prim squealed. 'And did you kiss him back.'

Katniss visually struggled with herself before admitting, 'Yes.'

Prim flew forward and hugged her tightly. 'I knew it! I knew it! All this time didn't I say?'

'All right, all right, no need to be so smug.' Nevertheless, Katniss smiled as she hugged her sister back, allowing herself to revel in the joy of it all for a little while. 'What about you though? Pretty sure I saw you dancing with a certain Rory Hawthorne last night. For a _long_ time.'

Prim quickly disengaged. 'That was nothing. Nothing at all.'

'The tables have turned, little duck.'

Prim squeaked and fled the room. Laughing to herself, Katniss shut the door and began to change.

…

Aggravatingly, Prim was first to the door after it was knocked. By the time Katniss had raced down the stairs, Prim was already chattering away to her boy with the bread, and whatever she was saying had Peeta turning a deeper shade of red by the second.

'Prim, leave him be.'

Peeta was wearing his official delivery boy cap again, and for a brief, fearful moment, she worried that he had regressed into cheery yet hands-off professionalism. That fear was destroyed by the smile he gave her as she walked up to him. One that declared everything was right in the world as long as he could keep looking at her. It made her coy and goofy and disbelieving of her situation.

'Hi again.'

Katniss tried to chide him when he pulled her close and pressed their lips together in full view of a gushing Prim.

'It's fine, Katniss. Prim can handle the truth.'

'Yeah,' Prim chirruped, 'come on, Katniss. It's not like I'm Mom.'

'It's not like who's Mom?'

The three adolescents gasped as Mrs Everdeen emerged from the kitchen, ominously sharpening a kitchen knife. Katniss saw Peeta's eyes focus on it and his Adam's apple bob. It was the quintessential awkward silence, everyone looking to someone else to speak first.

'Remember,' Peeta joked uncertainly, 'I'm a joy.' He brandished his hands for emphasis.

'You're a good young man, Peeta Mellark,' Mrs Everdeen said with a particularly vigorous scrape of the knife. 'Look after her.'

'I will, Mrs Everdeen, with everything I have.'

Katniss's mother smiled beatifically at them, only half seeing them, caught up in a wistful memory. In a seeming daze, she turned and sauntered back into the kitchen.

'There, you have the Everdeens' full blessing now,' Prim announced triumphantly.

'Thank goodness for that,' Peeta replied. 'Katniss and I were just about to head out for her gift. Do you want to come with us?'

'I don't want to get in the way.'

'You really wouldn't.'

Katniss wasn't in love yet, but the way Peeta treated Prim – as someone valuable outside of the fact that she was his beloved's treasured sister – sent her spiralling towards that eventuality. The three of them walked through the Seam, Peeta's arm linked through hers even as he listened with rapt attention to everything the youngest Everdeen had to say. Prim was, and had always been, the most precious person to her in the world, and it tickled Katniss that the boy she had chosen could also see why.

There was already a hubbub in Twelve's town square when the trio arrived. Peeta used his considerably larger frame to cut a path through the burgeoning crowd, the two girls riding his slipstream. Katniss thought she saw Cressida again, but even a bald woman with unique tattoos was hard to identify for certain in this crush. When they got to the front of the gathering, they saw what had drawn all the attention. Ten strapping young men stood in formation, arms folded behind their backs, legs parallel to their shoulders, heads down, completely motionless. They all wore coordinating, finely made garments, intricately patterned with red, white and gold, short-sleeved despite the weather and designed for free and fluid movement.

'Very nice,' Prim murmured appreciatively.

Katniss looked aghast, Peeta deeply amused.

'What about Rory?' he asked.

'I can still look.'

'Don't encourage her! She's too young.'

'Calm, Katniss.' Peeta hugged her shoulder. 'You don't want to miss the show, do you? They can start now that we've arrived.'

The men's heads all snapped up as one and spread their arms with conscious showmanship. The two on the furthest ends swapped sides by tumbling across the performance space in an impressive series of symmetrical somersaults. The audience rumbled with awe. The other acrobats began to demonstrate their athletic prowess, vaulting and spinning and changing formations with slick planning. They formed two rows, one behind the other, and drew exhilarated gasps as the men in the back row flipped right over their counterparts' heads. Then the new back row did the same, the cycle repeating twice more to the sound of fervent applause. Four men danced out of sight and returned with a small trampoline each.

'This is so cool!' Prim shouted, gaping at how high the men could leap on the trampolines and how many consecutive flips they could do. Katniss supposed that she could agree.

The performance was all of ten minutes in length, a mere coincidence Peeta insisted, and following the thrilling conclusion (one where Katniss expected to be carting a couple home and into her Mom's medicinal care) she was dragged over to meet the acrobats.

Peeta shook all of their hands, recalled all of their names, exchanged jokes and thanked them deeply for their stellar performance. Katniss was introduced as the gift receiver, although that title wasn't so undesirable today. She had genuinely enjoyed this one, though for their grace and proficiency, not the vapid reasons Prim suggested.

'Did you see their shoulders?' Prim asked while they waited for Peeta to direct the performers to a place where they could eat something wholesome and nutritional.

'Yes,' Katniss said patiently.

'Honestly, Katniss. If you weren't kissing Peeta all the time, I'd think you were completely uninterested in other humans.'

Katniss didn't even honour that with a reply.

'You know, Peeta looks a lot like he could be one of them. I mean, build-wise.'

Katniss felt extremely relieved when Peeta returned to them. 'I feel kind of responsible for these guys until they can take their train back to their district. I'm going to head over to the diner with them. Do you want to come?'

'Yes!' Prim whooped.

'All right,' Katniss said, allowing him to slide his arm around her waist. 'Prim reckons that you'd be right at home in that acrobatic troupe.'

'Do you, Prim?' Peeta jokingly flexed his arm with a scrunched look of concentration. 'I don't know. Those trampolines look horrifying. I'd probably get on one and fall straight off the other side.'

Both Everdeens chortled at this.

The acrobats were all humble, amiable individuals from Eleven, and they found Prim's stuttering attempts to converse with them adorably charming. As they strode onwards, Peeta and Katniss hung back and talked in furtive voices.

'Mr Abernathy told me today that we can't keep this a secret from your employer forever. He'll have to find out about us, and soon.'

'Does that scare you?'

'That might depend on who he is. Why won't you tell me who he is?'

'I signed a contract,' Peeta said, yet when Katniss gave him a sceptical look, he easily relented, 'but I've probably broken every other clause. He called himself Nero Black, but I think it's a false name. He's also from the Capitol. He said he met you on a tour and was instantly enamoured.'

That didn't narrow it down. Katniss had probably bumped into hundreds of Capitol men since the tours began.

'What did he look like?'

'As unidentifiable as any Capitolite does beneath their obfuscating costumes. His hair was blue, but who knows how much that changed? He wore sunglasses. He was about the same height as me. I haven't seen him since he enlisted me. Who knows what he looks like?'

'You worked for a person without knowing who they are?' Katniss asked exasperatedly. 'That could have been dangerous for both of us.'

'My position as an intermediary allowed me to check the safety on everything. It all turned out all right, didn't it?'

'So far. The story isn't over yet.'

'Look, Katniss, you definitely want to be with me, not him?'

'Yes.'

'Then that's all we can tell him. If he truly cares about you, then your free will should matter to him. If it doesn't,' his hand tightened on her waist, 'then I'm willing to fight.'

'Me too,' Katniss said, 'but let's hope it doesn't come to that.'

'Yes, let's hope.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Thank you to everyone for your ever-brilliant response. Every automated email is like Christmas come early.

**Blondmomma09:** I'm so honoured that you introduced your mom to this story! **Anonymous:** Cinna needed to appear at some point in this story, as did PrimxRory. Yep, all the dancers were female tributes. Finally a kiss! **Trude:** Thank you. You only have to wait a couple more days to find out! **Ahschung:** Thank you, I'm glad you thought so. :D


	11. Eleven pipers piping

**Eleven Pipers Piping**

Katniss stretched luxuriantly in bed, still hovering in dreamland. She, Prim and Peeta were sitting in the forest, snacking happily on his latest batch of cheese buns, when a trampoline unexplainably materialised before them. Peeta got up, shrugged off his coat to reveal a flattering red and gold costume and began to spring on the surprise trampoline. He was unexpectedly good, and quickly won cheers from the Everdeen sisters. That was until an offensive cacophony started up outside her window, snapping Katniss out of her reverie. It sounded like flutes or pipes, performing something hideously saccharine that she doubted counted as real music.

Prim apparently agreed. She sat up with a pillow over her head. 'What's going on?'

Katniss didn't know whether to be amused or highly aggravated. 'I think it's my latest present,' she replied, 'and Peeta developing an awful sense of humour.'

'Spending too much time around you,' teased Prim.

Rolling her eyes, Katniss slid from her bed and padded to the window. There was a horde of pipers assembled at her front door, playing far louder than the size of their instruments should rightly warrant. Sighing, she opened her window and called out with a half-grin. 'Peeta, you sadistic ass, don't make me fetch my bow.'

There was no reply at first, and Katniss's humour waned. She'd have to teach him not to test her before the sun officially came up. 'Peeta,' she called with some extra grit in her voice, 'don't make me come down there. Special hint: you won't like it.'

Katniss's lip curled in satisfaction as a male figure rushed into view, looking suitably threatened as he held his arms aloft in surrender. It wasn't Peeta. He was far too rangy, and he stared up at Katniss with apologetic grey eyes. Under his cap – that at least was a twin of Peeta's – he had dark hair. Who the hell even was that? She cast a net into the disconcerted fuzz of her brain, trying to put a name to that face.

'Thom?'

'On the eleventh day of Christmas, your true love gives to thee,' Thom yelled over the aerophonic din, 'eleven pipers piping.'

'Yeah, I can hear that for myself,' Katniss shouted back. 'Where's Peeta?'

'I…who?'

'Where's Peeta Mellark?'

'That Merchant guy from the bakery? What does he have to do with anything?'

Katniss thundered down the stairs and flew through the door, so quickly that Thom jumped in shock as she barrelled into view. She didn't stop until her face was right near his, her silver stare lethal. 'Where is he?'

'I have no idea.'

'He used to do the job that you're doing now. Why are you here instead of him?'

'I r-really don't know, Katniss. I'm sorry. All I know is today I was walking to the mines when this stranger confronted me and asked me to guide these pipers to your house on the way. He paid me for my trouble, more money than I'd ever seen.'

'Who was he? What did he look like?'

Thom was massively shaken by her urgency. 'I don't know. He was…I remember he was kind of fat. Bigger than anyone has any right to be.'

'Capitol?'

'I think so, probably.'

Katniss would give anything for him to utter a useful sentence that he was a hundred percent certain of.

'Age?'

'Old, sort of, but not that old, I guess. Old_er_.'

'Just go to the mines, Thom,' Katniss sighed.

'Right, yeah, I will. I was told to ask you to sign.'

'That's right.' She took the sheet with her ten past signatures, trying to call up how she felt as she had scrawled each one. Baffled, irritated, distracted, amused. She marked today's with a creeping feeling of dread.

'Thanks.' Thom stuffed it haphazardly in his pocket, whereas Peeta (when he remembered it) had kept it neatly folded. Wrong, everything was wrong. 'Oh yeah, and one more thing. He wanted you to have the cap.'

He deposited it and waited awkwardly as she spun it in her hands. It looked exactly the same as Peeta's, but it could just as easily be a replica. She turned it upside down and what she saw inside made her start. Clinging to the rim were blond hairs as well as black.

'They let you have his hat,' she whispered.

'What?' When Katniss fixed him with a lead-laden stare, he backpedalled. 'Oh, never mind, I'll just let you do your stuff. See you, Katniss,' he said in a rush, running off.

The pipers remained and struck up another sickly sweet tune as if Katniss's day hadn't had an uncertain shadow cast over it. Prim poked her head out of the window.

'Ooh! I like this one!'

…

'What do you mean it wasn't Peeta?'

'He didn't show up, and someone allegedly paid Thom a hell of a lot to take his place for the day,' Katniss said as she hopped into her boots. 'I think Peeta got fired.'

'Oh no,' Prim frowned, 'but he was doing so well.'

'Yeah, so well that he was constantly, er, making out with his employer's target of affection.'

'Oh, when you put it that way…but how would the employer know?'

'That's what I'm going to find out. I'm heading to the bakery, ok?'

'Ok, see you later.' Prim hugged her briefly.

Katniss returned the hug before pulling away and snatching the cap up from the coat hook she had temporarily thrown it on. 'See you.'

…

Everything is fine. Nothing is wrong. You're overreacting. Nothing is wrong. She half ran to the bakery.

It was virtually empty so early in the morning, the sky was still an inky blue, but bakers rose early in the day, ovens blazing long before the sun came up. There were a few items on display already, but Katniss paid them no regard. She went straight for the deserted counter and called into the back of the store. 'Hello! Someone, please.'

Her breath caught in her throat as Mrs Mellark was the one to emerge, looking at Katniss with acid in her eyes. 'What do you want?'

Katniss had half a mind to mumble out an excuse and leave, but the thought of her boy with the bread made her straighten her back and say, 'I'm looking for Peeta.'

'And why should I tell you where he is? So he can run off Seamside again? He spends enough time in that dirty place, even when he's needed around the bakery. He thinks whatever you're giving him is better than helping his family, is that it?'

'Mom?' Bran's voice was a welcome sound, but there was one that she would have preferred to hear speaking that word. 'Mom, that's enough.'

'You're telling me what to do now?' The woman turned on her son, and although she was half a foot shorter than him, it was obvious who shied away from who.

'No, Mom, we just don't talk like that to customers.'

'She isn't a customer, she's a thief.'

'I never stole anything from you,' Katniss said.

'You stole our bread, and now you've stolen my son!'

'Mom, come on.' Mrs Mellark was guided away, and Katniss was left feeling cold.

Bran rushed back quickly after that. 'I am _so _sorry, Katniss. She's…well, you know. You can guess at least. What did you want?'

It took her a while to find her voice again. 'I'm looking for Peeta.'

Bran's face went slack like stretched dough. 'But I thought he was with you. We all did, like the night before.'

Katniss felt her legs turning to jelly beneath her. 'I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon.'

Bran's disquiet reflected her own. 'Yesterday morning.'

Before he could say anything further, she ran for the bakery door, yanked it open.

'Wait, where are you going? Katniss? _Katniss?!'_

Abernathy and Sons was only a couple of doors down the road, but it was closed: no lights in the windows, door obstinately shut. So Katniss began running again, all the way to the Seam, getting disconcerted, taking wrong turns, but never stopping until she was at the Abernathys' front door.

At least she hadn't woken them up. The family were already at the breakfast table when the eldest son rose to open the door.

'Can I speak to Mr Abernathy, please?' Katniss asked before he could even greet her. 'It's really important.'

'If it's a matter of business, then the firm's opening hours are eight 'til eight on weekdays. You may have to book in advance.'

'Oh, move out of the way, Rod,' Mr Abernathy growled, yanking his son back by the shoulder. 'Go and finish your breakfast before Jett wolfs the lot. That boy, possession is nine tenths of the law in his book. Katniss,' he said once Rod had ambled off, 'what's the emergency?'

'You know how you said your door is always open?'

'I know what I said, I want to know what you've got to say.'

'Peeta's gone, and I don't know what to do.'

'You're sure he's gone?'

'His family don't know where he is either. He hasn't been back for a day. His brother's worried, even I could tell. And I wouldn't be too concerned about it usually, but they replaced him as delivery boy. A Capitolite paid Thom off to do the job for him. At the end, he gave me this hat.' Katniss gestured to the cap she had taken to wearing on her head. 'Peeta wore it before. I think it's a sign, a symbol. This isn't a coincidence.'

'Shit,' Mr Abernathy remarked eloquently, 'it sure doesn't sound like it. Well, what are you waiting for? Come in. Have you eaten?'

She hadn't. She'd only just realised. Mr Abernathy sat her in his vacated seat, staring blankly at her hands as Mrs Abernathy placed a dish of streaky bacon and geese eggs before her, accompanied by a sympathetic squeeze of her shoulder. The two elder Abernathy sons, adults in their own right, continued despite the unexpected addition to their dining table, but Jett leaned forward and shook Katniss's arm.

'What's the matter?' he asked, looking prone to echoing her sadness whenever it came.

Typically, Katniss wasn't the most confident with kids that weren't her sister, but there was something about his ready empathy that reminded her of both Prim and Peeta. 'My friend's gone missing, and you're Daddy's going to help me find him.'

'Is he the nice one with the funny stories who looked at the geese with me?'

Katniss smiled despite herself. 'Yes.'

'I like him!'

'Me too.'

Mr Abernathy ruffled his little boy's hair, even as he sent his wife a significant look over his head.

The woman sprang into action. 'All right, soldier. All finished?'

'Yes, Mommy!' Jett chirruped.

'Good boy. Come and help me clear the plates.'

'Rod, Flint, you two go and open the firm. I don't know how long I'll be here, but I'll get there when I can.'

His adult sons moved to carry out his commands. When the room was empty, the table mostly cleared, Mr Abernathy moved to sit opposite her.

'Eat.'

Katniss grimaced down at her untouched food.

'I may not have any daughters, as much as Silvia wanted some, but I've had experience enough with anxious teenagers. Eat or you'll regret it later, and give me that hat while you're at it.'

Mr Abernathy was right, goose eggs certainly weren't the most fantastic taste in the world, but she forced the meal down, obsessively chewing each mouthful to dust. Across from her, Mr Abernathy examined the hat.

'Whoever took Peeta will be returning for you, and soon,' he said, setting the hat down.

Katniss set her fork down. 'What makes you so sure?'

'This cap wasn't meant as a simple souvenir. Like you said, it's a sign. It's the difference between closing the case, leaving you suspicious that this mysterious madman of yours was responsible yet unable to be certain, and outright taunting you. As long as they're provoking a reaction from you, trying to mess you around, they're still invested in you. Also, the expense of travelling from the Capitol to little, inconsequential District Twelve just to change a delivery boy wouldn't be justified if they were finished with you. And if they wanted to make the trip really worth it, that Capitolite might even be lurking around, prepared to take you along on the return journey.

'Did this Thom boy tell you what the open-handed Capitolite looked like?'

'All I got from him was fat and fairly old.'

Mr Abernathy grunted. 'There's an abundance of old fat Capitolites around here at the moment, a freaking cornucopia. Look like we'll have to wait for him to approach.'

'Supposing you're right–'

'Of course I'm right.'

'-and they do come for me…'

'Then I'll tell you everything you need to say to them.'

Over the next few hours, Katniss learnt what rights she had, which legislations she could cite. During that time, Mr and Mrs Abernathy had become Haymitch and Silvia and Jett had found a comfortable perch to colour from in her lap. Haymitch had tried to dismiss the boy at first, but to her own surprise, Katniss insisted that the kid could stay.

Just as she was feeling calmer, even in control, about her situation, Flint slammed through the front door.

'Father, a Capitolite came to the office.'

Haymitch stood. 'Old and fat?'

Flint winced at the phrasing. 'No, young and bald, and female.'

'I'll be right there.'

'She said she didn't want you, just her.' He indicated Katniss.

Katniss nodded warily. That's what she thought.

…

There was a Capitol hovercraft in District Twelve. The town square was once again the venue, and the uninformed residents of Twelve were forced to wonder what they had done to attract all of these abnormal events. Since the hovercraft had been there for a few hours, the crowd had somewhat dispersed. Katniss was grateful about that. The less witnesses she had for this precarious event, the better.

'You can do this,' Haymitch whispered as he walked alongside her. 'Keep confident, speak the facts with authority.'

Two Capitolites stood outside the hovercraft, a rotund man that she guessed Thom had been referring to and a very familiar woman with green vines tattooed to her bare scalp.

'Cressida?' Katniss rushed forward.

'Hey, Katniss,' Cressida replied with a jaunty smirk. She had a monstrous black device propped on her shoulder, angled at her. Katniss was pretty sure that it was a weapon.

'Ah, Miss Everdeen, just the girl we were looking for,' the man said.

'Where's Peeta?'

'Very forward,' the Capitol man muttered to Cressida.

'Like I told you, it's genuine.'

'If you want answers, I'd suggest that you step into the hovercraft.'

'Have you killed him?'

'What? We may be from the Capitol, Miss Everdeen, but I can assure you that we are not complete animals,' the man protested, showing her placating palms.

'That remains to be seen,' Katniss ground out.

'She has a real bite to her,' the man said to Cressida. 'No wonder both boys admire her so.'

Katniss looked back to Haymitch, wordlessly appealing to him for guidance. _Should I go?_

Haymitch scrutinised the pair of Capitolites with a gaze that Katniss suspected could penetrate the very essence of who a person was. Finally, he nodded.

'All right, I'll go with you,' Katniss said, 'but I'd advise you to be careful. As Peeta and I are both minors, you'd have far less wriggle room if this ever progressed to a court of law.'

'Very well, you have our word that you and Peeta are completely safe at the moment, and will continue to be so throughout our contact.'

It wasn't much, but Katniss supposed it was better than nothing. Haymitch beckoned his son forward and extracted something from his pocket, placing it in Katniss's palm. It was an in-ear reduction of the headset the Abernathys' receptionist had been wearing. He briefly talked her through the controls and said: 'I will call you every hour. Make sure you answer. And if there are any problems, if you feel threatened or unsafe, call immediately.'

Then he spoke to the two Capitolites. 'If any harm comes to this girl, I'll know about it. And once I know about it, I'll be struggling to choose between the scores of witnesses here in this square that could testify that it was you.'

'Please be assured Mr Abernathy that no harm will come to Miss Everdeen,' the male Capitolite said. 'Upon my word as an "old, fat man".'

If Haymitch was thrown, he didn't show it. 'I don't like this, but it seems that it has to be done. Get your boy back.'

'Right.'

'After you, Miss Everdeen.'

There were two men in full body suits standing between her and the crowd, their hard shells a mottled white and beige. They sort of reminded her of insects and seemed to blend into the palette of District Twelve. Katniss wondered how long they had been there for. They approached her now, following her and Cressida and the unnamed Capitolite into the hovercraft.

'These are Castor and Pollux,' Cressida explained when Katniss kept sending the insect men bemused looks. 'They're cameramen.'

Katniss optically searched their persons for the camera, before remembering that she didn't even know what cameras looked like.

'We wear our cameras in these suits,' one of them explained, once he noted her perplexity.

'Here, this is what a standard camera looks like,' Cressida indicated the odd assembly of plastic and metal that had balanced on her shoulder.

'But why do we need cameras in the first place?' Katniss couldn't think of any reason that would settle her nerves.

Of course, she didn't get her answer. 'Miss Everdeen, my name is Plutarch Heavensbee,' the man said, sitting across from her, 'pleased to make your acquaintance.'

Katniss regarded his proffered hand for quite a while before taking it.

'How did you know my full name and where to find me?'

'The hat you have in your hands, Katniss.' Cressida leaned forward and tapped the badge. 'It has a camera inside the badge.'

_No_. 'But you just said that was camera,' Katniss pointed to the piece of technology resting at Cressida's feet. 'How could something like that fit behind there?'

'Cameras come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.'

What had they seen? She tried to recollect all of the memories she had formed with Peeta, focusing on one aspect only in each one, whether his head was bare or not. It had been on in her house, several times, and that made her shiver. And it had been with Peeta in her precious forest. That made her feel truly violated. The woods had been for his eyes only, not the peripheral audience that had sneaked in unseen and intangible.

'Did Peeta know?'

'Of course not. He wouldn't have showered so much affection on you yesterday. Yes, the boy adores you, that much is clear, but he's certainly more prudent than that.'

'Who's been watching?'

'When we reach our destination, we will tell you.'

'No, not at all. This is my private life we're talking about. I want to know who thinks they can stake their claim on it.'

Heavensbee did nothing but smile calmly. 'Strap up, we'll be lifting off soon.'

…

Today was the longest day of her life. It wasn't just the sensation of waiting, it was a physical fact. The Capitol was on the other side of Panem from District Twelve, and they had to fly against the turn of the world to reach it. They spent the whole journey in sunlight, no matter how the hours dragged, so Katniss had an extended view of the lands below. At first, it was oddly thrilling to see trees, houses, things she had seen her whole life from one grounded perspective, transformed into little toy-like models, hemmed picturesquely in white. After a while, it became unremarkable, homogenous, and so Katniss turned away.

True to his word, Haymitch called her every hour, and they discussed Katniss's situation and all the laws it most likely broke in raised tones. Heavensbee, the deceptively docile bastard, simply smiled in that way that filled her with the perverse desire to punch him in the face.

'Do not resort to violence,' Haymitch told her. 'I repeat, do not resort to violence.'

'I wish I'd bought my bow and arrows,' she replied blackly.

They touched down in a beautiful, snow-masked expanse of landscaped gardens. Katniss was the first to leap from the hovercraft, but the insect cameramen were quick to follow her. She ignored them, taking in the scenery. It seemed to go on for acres unbroken, each way she turned yielding a delight to the eye. But Peeta was nowhere still.

'Where are we? Is Peeta here?'

Heavensbee and Cressida smiled at each other. 'Your persistence is very admirable,' Heavensbee said.

'Well, he is the only reason I'm here in the first place. I'm certainly not here to hang out with you.'

Heavensbee refused to be insulted. 'Come along then, Miss Everdeen. You have an appointment with your gift sender to keep.'

This caught Katniss's attention. 'He's here?'

'This is his house, or rather his esteemed father's.'

Of course it was. Capitol richlings!

They traversed the vast stretch of gardens to the point where their beauty devolved into visual torture. 'Why was the hovercraft parked so far away from the house?' she asked.

'That's where the hovercraft pad is.'

Katniss had no idea what that was. She didn't care enough to ask. The sprawling mansion crawled towards them, looking magical not just because of the gorgeous architecture or the snowy setting, but because of the warmth it promised. The back entrance would have served very well as front entrance for anyone with ten times the aesthetic snobbery Katniss possessed. A sweeping marble staircase led up to its pair of polished black doors, and its colossal veranda was supported by masterfully chiselled pillars.

The doors opened grandly, and a young man, thankfully around Katniss's age though she was briefly deceived by his hair, stepped out in a quilted dressing gown that put Katniss's ratty winter coat to shame.

'Hello, Katniss Everdeen,' the boy said, padding down the steps with his arms wide open, 'we finally meet again.'

'What time is it?' Katniss muttered to Plutarch.

'Here in the Capitol, it is currently a few minutes past one.'

'Why are you wearing a dressing gown in the middle of the day?' Katniss asked her Capitol suitor.

The young man stopped, dumbstruck, before resuming his cool manner and descending to the bottom. He held his hand out, and Katniss had no real choice but to take it with three cameras jostling in her face.

'Aren't you cold, though?' Katniss asked.

'Slightly, which is why you must join me inside.'

Katniss did want to get out of the cold, so she let the boy lead her up the steps, covertly scanning his features. He struck her as someone other girls would find handsome with his porcelain skin and dark, intense eyes. His hair was ridiculous though, jet black with silver streaks through it, as if it was aging without him.

'When you said "we meet again", what did you mean?' Katniss asked, dispassionately taking in the plush room they had entered.

Her admirer paused again, this time horror-struck. 'You don't recognise me? I'm Domitius_ Roe_. My father is one of the most powerful senators in the Capitol. And we _met_ before.'

Katniss analysed his face once more, and something sprang to mind. 'Yes! I remember you,' she crowed victoriously. 'You're a judge on that awful talent show my sister made me watch! Capitol…Sun? Capitol…'

'What? No. Well, yes. But we don't talk about that show anymore. Don't you remember meeting me? You told our story to that delivery boy, so you must do. My hair was red that day, and–'

'You? You! You're that idiot who broke his ankle after he got stuck in a tree.'

'Yes, and you got me down and helped me to the nearest doctor. Of course, she was useless and I had it fixed as soon as I got back to the Capitol, but it was all you could manage in that limiting district of yours. For that, I am truly grateful.'

'Let me get this straight. You've been sending presents to me and heralding yourself as my true love because I pulled you out of a tree?'

'I felt a connection to you. You must have too. You wouldn't let go of my hand during that doctor's questionable treatment.'

'That's because you were thrashing about and crying for your mom,' Katniss said flatly.

One of the insect cameramen had a coughing fit with the suspicious pattern of laughter.

'Domitius,' Katniss sighed heavily, 'have you been watching the…the, er…'

'Livestream,' Cressida proposed helpfully.

'Thanks. Have you been watching the livestream from the hat?'

'Of course.'

'So you know why I'm here? Because I've chosen Peeta, and I want him back?'

For a brief moment, Domitius Roe looked dangerous, more dangerous than anyone Katniss had ever met. He had a madness in his eyes, the kind only sated by compliance to his wishes. But that look was gone as quickly as it came. 'I'll make you forget about him,' he said with a charming smile. 'I'll make you want me instead. I'll show you all the things I can give you that he never could.'

And show her he did. That afternoon was a pageant of possessions and experiences, each more extravagant than the last. She dressed up in countless fine gowns, inherited the forest in his family's cavernous grounds, received a bow crafted from gold and arrows shaped from silver, and feasted on the most delicious lamb stew she had ever tasted. And everywhere they went, the cameras followed.

A plate of cheese buns were wheeled in to follow up the sublime dinner. They were excellent, gourmet, prepared by one of the finest bakers in Panem, but they weren't as good as Peeta's.

'Please, Domitius. I've had a nice time and everything, but I'm here for Peeta. Where's Peeta?'

'Peeta, Peeta,_ Peeta!'_ Domitius flipped the tray of cheese buns. 'How can you still be so hung up on him? What has he ever done for you? Whatever it is, I'll do it better. If he's given you something, I'll give you more of it. Forget him. _Forget him_.'

Katniss did what any sane huntress did in the face of a bigger, fiercer predator. She held herself very still, until she no longer appeared to be a threat, and waited for Domitius's anger to subside.

'We'll cut that scene,' Heavensbee murmured to Cressida, who nodded her agreement.

'Enough of your whispering, old man,' Domitius said to him. 'You're lucky you still have a job after your last screw-up.' All of a sudden, his smile regained its urbane brightness as he looked at Katniss. 'Dessert?'

Katniss watched his foot as he crushed a cheese bun beneath the sole of his smart black shoe.

'Yes, please,' she muttered softly, cautiously.

Katniss's designated bedroom was larger than her whole house and furnished luxuriantly with more commodities than she would need in a year, let alone one night. Still, she smiled graciously at Domitius and thanked him for his hospitability, kicking herself internally for every insincere word of it.

'Goodnight, gorgeous,' Domitius replied with a crooked, debonair smile. 'If you have any problems, my suite is only just down the hall.'

Katniss shuddered as soon as he left, but she soon stopped that. What if there were cameras in this room too? The miniature paradise quickly became a hostile environment after that. She glanced about the room ineffectually, knowing that if they wanted to hide those cameras so she would never find them, they could. On the bed was a diaphanous, bordering on indecent, nightdress. Katniss took one look at it and decided to boycott.

Before she retired to bed, she made sure that the door was firmly locked from the inside.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>So, what does everyone think of the "true love"? This story concludes tomorrow. Until then, thank you for reading!

**Trude: **Thank you, yes, Prim is a sweetheart! **Safayi:** I'm glad you think so! I really like that theory, and I could definitely imagine this story's Bran doing something like that for Peeta. Hopefully my reasons for dressing up Peeta etc will be on par with yours. **Anonymous:** Yep, I looked up loads of terms like paronomasia for my English exam. Never actually used any of them...until now. And it turns out that you were right on both counts.


	12. Twelve drummers drumming

So being ill for Christmas is fantastic…and debilitating for my work ethic, but I really wanted to get this final chapter up for Christmas Day, or as close to it as I could manage. It is coming up to 2:30 AM in England; I have a box of tissues and Olbas inhalers on call; I feel alive.

* * *

><p><strong>Twelve drummers drumming<strong>

Peeta rolled over in the sumptuous double bed and kicked off some of the layers of fur that threatened to drown him. When that did nothing to ease the heat, he groaned and sat up, surveying the room grimly. At first, this lavish room had been a pleasure to wake up to, but now that it had been his prison for over a day, he disliked every feather-stuffed pillow and golden tassel of it.

His flagrant red pyjama shirt had ripped in the night. The ridiculous, silken garment had evidently been tailored to someone's skinner build: the shoulders were too narrow, the arms and torso too constricting. Grumbling to himself, Peeta ripped the whole thing off, balled it up and threw it across the room. When he had first woken up here, his last memory being of him getting struck around the head by a mystery assailant, he'd been slightly fearful for his life. Now he was, at best, seriously pissed off.

He sidled over to the bedroom door and hammered. 'Excuse me! Would anyone like to tell me what's going on _now?_' No-one came to this room except to serve him food and clear his dishes, but he continued to yell as if he had an audience a thousand strong. 'So what, you're just going to keep me trapped in here for the rest of my life? That's probably illegal, and I think I have rights!'

Peeta was thrown for a loop when his frantic knocking was replied.

'Yes?' he breathed.

'Room service,' came a sprightly reply.

This was new. They hadn't announced their arrival before. He could take them, knock them out and run past them, run…where? He didn't know where he was only that it was most likely the domain of some hedonistic Capitolite. 'Come in,' he said and stepped back.

The door opened to reveal two women, barely older than him, dressed in identical, white uniforms and wheeling a room service trolley between them. Their professional smiles froze on their faces before falling into crude gapes as they took in his state of undress.

'Er,' Peeta fought the urge to fold his arms over his torso, 'should I just take the tray so you can go?'

'Oh! Not at all, not at all,' one said, seizing full control of the trolley, 'I've got to come in and see if everything's to your tastes.'

'We both do,' the other chipped in, rushing after her before she could have the door slammed in her face.

Peeta looked blankly between them, unmoved by their eager, effervescent countenances.

'That's funny. My servers weren't so attentive last time. They just left my food at the door.' He tapped his chin faux pensively. 'Must be something to do with how I was fully dressed then.'

The women at least had the decency to look embarrassed. 'Oh, not at all, sir. The young master insisted that you be treated as a most honoured guest. After all, you must be wearied by your isolation.'

'I am, I guess. Why doesn't "the young master" just let me out, or at least explain why I'm here in the first place?' The young master _had_ to be Katniss's Capitol admirer. What he didn't understand was why he wasn't lying bloodied in an inhospitable torture chamber instead of standing in a plush suite, having a good old-fashioned pampering practically forced on him by two attractive brunettes.

'Please, sit down, sir. Let us spoil you,' one said, pushing him onto the bed rather roughly.

Peeta supposed it was easier to play stupid and accept their inelegant evasions. 'You drive a hard bargain. Can I at least know your names?'

'I'm Aelia,' the one with the rounder face and hazel eyes announced.

'And I'm Caelia,' the taller, dark-eyed one pressed.

'Breakfast?' asked Aelia, lifting the silver cloche with a flourish.

'Sure.'

'A massage?' Caelia asked. Aelia scowled at her.

'Er.'

Before he could blink, Aelia had brandished a bunch of grapes in his face. 'Open wide.'

'No thank you,' Peeta ducked away from the swinging fruit and found himself caught in Caelia's talons.

'You have lovely shoulders,' Caelia murmured in his ear, trying to knead out the tension she was in a way causing, and he leapt from the bed.

He again looked between the two women, who weren't even attempting to be subtle anymore. They leaned towards him, their intense gazes promising something that Peeta knew he would be very uncomfortable receiving. And then he saw it. Katniss. They were meant to look like Katniss, as if one girl was a substitute for another.

'I can eat my own fruit,' he said in a measured tone, 'and my shoulders feel fine.' He took up a strawberry from the array of fruit Aelia had uncovered and popped it into his mouth. 'Everything is completely to my tastes. You may leave.'

Aelia and Caelia regarded him for a short while.

'I'll run you a bath!' Aelia declared, darting into the ensuite before he could deny her.

Caelia charged forward. 'I'll help you prepare.'

Peeta shuffled backwards, holding his pyjama pants tightly to his person. 'You know what? I'm good.' He sighed and shoved his hand roughly through his blond curls, refusing to feel guilty over the next words. 'Look, Caelia, I know what you two are up to, and I'm pretty sure that your boss has everything to do with it, but I love Katniss. I _love_ her. And you're beautiful and sweet and that massage did feel very good, but I just can't see myself with anyone but her.'

'Oh,' said Caelia.

He wasn't sure what that indicated, but he crept forward tentatively and rested his hands on her shoulders, keeping the rest of his body at a careful distance in case she went for his pyjama pants while he was off guard. 'So please, if you have any information at all that you think would be useful to me, tell me,' he gently urged, shamelessly aiming what Bran would teasingly call "mutt eyes" at her flushed face.

'Bath's ready,' Aelia broadcasted, her sunny demeanour faltering when she saw the pair of them. 'Of course, Caelia. You wait for me to get out of the way and then you sink your claws in.'

'No!' Caelia snapped out of her daze and appealed to her colleague. 'It wasn't like that. He gave me a lovely speech about how he was in love with that girl Katniss and could never be with anyone else, and it was the most adorable thing.'

Aelia's suppressed rage melted into frothy fawning. 'That is so darling!'

'She is one lucky girl.'

'She's here, you know.'

'What?'

Aelia covered her mouth, shaking her head frantically.

'Forget her, she's deranged,' Caelia informed him buoyantly.

'She seems perfectly sane to me. Please, tell me about her. Is she ok?'

'She arrived yesterday,' Aelia squeaked under the power of his blue eyes. 'She looked all right. The young master's looking after her.'

'All right,' Peeta murmured. 'All right, thank you so much.' He drew Aelia into a brief hug, which made her squeal in a convoluted mixture of surprise, fear and something Peeta couldn't identify. Long after he had let his arms fall to his side, she clung on. 'Er, please let go.'

'Right, of course, sorry.'

Peeta waved uncomfortably as they sidled out of the room, dragging the food trolley after them, before stepping into the bathroom. 'Capitolites,' he murmured as he took in the sight. Forget a bath, that was a freaking lake.

_Well that was surprisingly easy, _Peeta thought as he removed the rest of his clothes and slid into the indented bath. What he didn't realise, as he relaxed back in the water, was that Aelia and Caelia were only the first act.

The second wasn't kind enough to grant him a long interval, stalking into the ensuite without a consideration for his privacy. Peeta studied him, his employer. His hair was no longer blue, his eyes were unmasked, but there was no doubt that this was the man who had hired him merely thirteen days ago.

'I was wondering when you would show up,' Peeta said.

Roe never spoke a word, only sneering as he prowled the perimeter of the bath like a jungle cat circling its dying prey. But Peeta refused to die. He sat up and looked as dignified as he could when covered in soap suds.

'What are you doing?' he asked.

'Just checking out my competition.'

_And no doubt coming to the conclusion that the odds are stacked in your favour, _Peeta thought in this new sarcastic tone that he could have only picked up from one person. What would Katniss do, say? She would be bold, defiant, unflinching. 'Oh, enjoying the view?'

Roe met the barb with a humourless laugh. 'Hardly. In truth, you've been a thorn in my side right from day one; I just didn't know that until a couple of days ago. Types like you are the worst. Trust me, my father has to deal with snakes like you every day in the world of politics. They set themselves up as innocuous, affable men. They joke with you, dine with you, share your dreams and secret desires, and then they just as quickly turn around and take all you have. You kissed _my girl_. You used my gifts and stole her right from under me.'

'I didn't kiss your girl; I kissed Katniss Everdeen. And last time I checked, Katniss Everdeen doesn't _get_ stolen. I've got the slap to prove it.'

Roe sank to his knees right in front of Peeta and, without a shirt to grab onto, locked a hand around his neck. Peeta forced himself to keep relaxed, to keep watching his opponent with composed blue eyes.

'If it weren't for Heavensbee and his _shitty_ guidance, I'd have you rotting six feet under the snow. I'd have you beaten up so bad even your mother wouldn't love that pretty face anymore.'

Peeta laughed at the irony. _Be bold, be Katniss. _'Try it.'

Domitius Roe released him. 'I've got bigger things to worry about and other ways to win her. I have her here, you know.'

'I know.'

'Those two airheaded slappers told you, I suppose. They'd do anything for a pat on the head.'

'Don't talk about them like that,' Peeta said, calmly enough.

'They work for me, I can call them whatever I like. Especially when they didn't do their jobs properly.'

'They work for your father, you spoiled dick, and they didn't do their job because there was no job to do. No-one, I repeat, no-one could turn my head away from Katniss.'

'Admirable,' Roe remarked, eyeing him lazily, as if he had already won their dispute and was considering leaving, 'but that's all you can give her, right? Your dedication and your looks. But looks fade, passion wanes. What's left after that?'

'Plastic surgery?'

'Funny,' Roe drawled. 'Here's what's even funnier. I have Katniss here, so you know, and over the past afternoon, I've been introducing her to the benefits of a Capitol lifestyle, of being a senator's son.'

Peeta caught his implication immediately. 'You really haven't been paying attention to her at all, have you? Since when has Katniss ever cared about money?'

'Don't dismiss the idea so quickly. You didn't see her yourself. She was rather keen on the bow and arrow set I gave her. See, I'm learning. I am paying attention to what she likes. And when I gave her the forest, a whole forest to really call her own, she was more than keen.'

'You idiot,' Peeta snapped, to temper his growing disquiet. 'She loves her forest for its memories just as much as she loves it for itself. What will that new forest mean to her?'

'And what about her sister? Primrose, wasn't it? What a sweet girl, and all the world to Katniss. In fact, I bet Katniss wants to _give_ all the world to dear Prim. But the world costs money, so much money.'

'No,' Peeta said, but he wasn't so sure. Money. Katniss tolerating this man for money in itself was an idea that Peeta could immediately discard. But Prim. What wouldn't Katniss do for Prim? Or to give her family a better life? Peeta knew beyond a doubt that Katniss would lay down her life for her little sister without a question. And he knew that because that was one of the many things he loved about her.

'Face it, delivery boy, I've won,' said Roe with an indulgent leer, 'and you know it.'

By the time Domitius Roe had swept from the room, the bathwater had gone tepid. Peeta didn't even notice.

…

'Never expected to see you again,' Katniss said with a wry smile.

'We have a nasty habit of sticking around where the action is,' Cinna remarked. 'It was annoying in high school, but it's a valuable trait in this industry.'

'And what is this industry?' Katniss asked warily as Octavia fretted over her face, gabbling again about 'beauty base zero'.

'Not an answer you'll want to hear. You've been dragged into the deceptively frivolous world of Capitol entertainment. You didn't ask for this, I know, but with your quick wits, a certain blond ally beside you and a damn good lawyer, you could make it through.'

Heavensbee had lingered following her unceremonious awakening that morning, and now he came to the fore, briefing her on what to do and what to say.

'You'll be meeting Mr Roe at eleven, and you'd better make it good for the cameras. Smile, schmooze. He's your mysterious benefactor, your guardian angel. Let the whole Capitol know how grateful you are.'

'I'm grateful.' _Grateful that his blunder attempts at "wooing" helped me get to know Peeta. _'How grateful though? That depends. I've been here for almost a day now. Where the hell is my boyfriend?'

'Boyfriend?' Octavia sighed, before attempting to exchange a giggle with Venia. The fiercely professional, blue-haired woman allowed her a tight-lipped smile.

Heavensbee, on the other hand, had gone sternly pale. 'Do this small thing for the cameras and you just might see him again.'

'You keep making promises. How do I know that you won't just evade them again?'

'You don't.'

She glared at his back as he left.

'Would someone, _anyone_, explain what is going on here? How I ended up in this mess? Because I have absolutely no idea myself.'

She looked to her stylist team, her kindly designer, but it was Cressida who sat up from her inconspicuous corner and said, 'All right, Katniss. I'll tell you.'

'Well, good.'

Cressida sank back into her easy slouch. 'It started when Senator Gaius Roe, first hired Mr Heavensbee, PR guru to the stars, to tame his only son's wild ways.'

'What's a PR?' Katniss whispered to Cinna.

'Public relations, how a celebrity comes across to the general public audience.'

'Mr Heavensbee had a bright idea on how to do it. What was the antidote to Roe Jr hitting the news for wrecking cars, spitting at reporters, getting kicked off out of bars, clubs, nationwide tours of Panem, and showing a genuine disregard for other human beings? Why, showing that he could actually give a damn about another person. And why not make a romance out of it and build it into a reality show while they were at it? The public always goes for a good show. Panem et circuses: bread and circuses. That's all the Capitol audience really want.

'There were doubts at first when Heavensbee first pitched the idea to Domitius, but the kid ate it up. He said he already had an eye on somebody. A girl in District Twelve, a hidden beauty, a diamond among coal and lots of other crap like that. It was better than they could have hoped for, so they ran with it and hired a director, me. Hi.' She gave Katniss a cavalier wave.

'Initially, I found it to be rather dull fare. I'm not into all the glittery, fluffy nonsense that everyone else seems to love, but I've got to eat, haven't I? But then things got interesting. The boy he hired to deliver these gifts to you, a simple necessity to ease your suspicion but altogether meant as a complete non-entity in this process, he got the Capitol talking. In the end, it wasn't Roe's gifts or inane commentary they tuned in to see, it was you being so tenacious and him being so magnetic that drew them in.'

'How did you see everything? I know there was a camera, but sometimes Peeta didn't have it on.'

Cressida smirked. 'Castor and Pollux in their full body suits. Once your gifts started taking place outside, it was easy for them to follow you, fill in for what Peeta's cap-cam couldn't get. You know, for an acclaimed huntress, you sure don't pay enough attention to your surroundings. Though, I'll let you off. That boy of yours is pretty distracting.'

Katniss snarled. 'I can't believe this. All this time, we were being _spied_ on. Our life, our _private_ life broadcast across the Capitol as cheap afternoon entertainment.'

'Oh, no cheap afternoons involved here. This show has a prime spot on the schedule and a following of millions. Once we recognised the sheer popularity of the romance growing between you and Peeta, we subtly encouraged it. Why do you think Cinna went so far as to dress Peeta up in that suit?'

'Cinna, you were in on it too?' Katniss asked with unexpected sadness.

I'm in on you getting your happiness. I was following the show before I joined the team, so I had ample chance to see you shine. I personally requested to style you for the tenth episode. Whatever you decide to do from here, I'm rooting for you.'

'It's so romantic, though,' Octavia gushed. 'They're already calling you the star-crossed lovers.'

'Why?' Katniss asked.

'Because your love is so beautiful and yet so forbidden!'

'Who forbid it in the first place? Domitius Roe? Why does it matter what he has to say about us?' Katniss turned to Cressida. 'Mr Heavensbee is doing the PR for Domitius, right? How much does he know about this whole clandestine plot?'

'He knows about the public interest in you and Peeta and our attempts to magnify it. He's on board for that part. He thinks it gives the show more interest, more conflict. But in the end, he's expecting you to fall into the young Roe's grasping arms. We know that's not likely to happen.'

'So will you help me now then? Will you help me find Peeta and get out with him? You want your viewer rating and I want to go home. They coincide more or less.'

Cinna smiled at Katniss. 'Portia's with Peeta right now, readying him. When you and Domitius meet again, we'll make sure Peeta's right there with you.'

…

But he wasn't, not at first. It was just Katniss and Roe. And that was rather like being trapped in a nest of tracker jackers, waiting tensely to see whether or not they would smother you.

'More tea?' Domitius asked, pouring her some before she could even decline.

'Thank you,' Katniss said with a sweet smile. It had taken her minutes of manipulating her face in the mirror to learn how to affect that smile. 'You are very kind.'

'Very kind,' Roe repeated. 'I don't know why I've become like this, Katniss. I only know that I can attribute it to you. You've changed me for the better. You make me want to give you everything I can. And I wouldn't regret it, not a single thing, because you're worth it, Katniss Everdeen.'

She resisted the urge to turn in her seat and check whether or not Mr Heavensbee was miming the words along with him.

'Thank you,' she repeated again, before lifting the cup to her lips in order to avoid more talking.

'You look gorgeous today.'

She was dressed in a pale blue, fur-trimmed dress that accentuated the silver in her eyes. Roe sat across from her garbed in all white. It filled her with unease for some reason, that colour. A failed attempt to make an angel of a known devil. 'So do you,' she said all the same.

_Where's Peeta?_

Almost as if he had heard her call, Peeta stormed through the set of doors that she happened to be facing (because this room was grand enough to have two) looking imposing in a crisp suit of grey.

'Peeta!' That morning, when Haymitch had contacted her, he had urged her to be cool, to read the scene carefully before acting, but she forgot all of that as she leapt from her seat, ran across the room and hurled herself into his arms. He staggered backward, knocking his head on the door, but hugged her back with no less enthusiasm.

'Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?' Katniss asked, pulling back, hands crawling over his face, his neck, his arms, all the probable sites of injury.

'No, I'm fine. I'm great.' He took her face in his hands and smiled hopefully at her. 'I thought you'd given up on me. I thought you'd given him a try.'

Katniss pulled out of his grasp. 'How could you think that of me?'

'You know I could never think anything badly of you, Katniss. He got inside my head, convinced me that this world was better for you and Prim, especially Prim. And I know that you'd always put Prim before me.'

'You idiot,' and Katniss thumped him lightly on the chest. 'The best place for Prim is Twelve. With me and her mom and you and Buttercup and Rory. And the cupcakes? Where in this Capitol would she get those cupcakes?'

Peeta breathed a shuddering sigh of relief. 'We'll go home then, and I'll give her all the cupcakes she wants. You won't be able to walk through your house for the sea of cupcakes flooding it.'

Katniss laughed. 'Then where would all the cheese buns go?'

'The forest. We'll dig a hole in the ground like squirrels and store them by the crateful.' He held her by the waist and pulled her close again. 'And no-one else would be able to find them,' he whispered for her ears alone.

'I'd like that,' she whispered back, smiling like crazy. Peeta was here and undamaged and making sweet promises that she knew he would keep if she held him to them, no matter how ludicrous they were.

There was the sound of shattering porcelain behind them, and Katniss turned around to see Domitius Roe standing in the centre of the room, a smashed teacup at his feet. 'This isn't how it's supposed to go.'

The room was silent, but the hungry cameras were still rolling. Cressida, Castor and Pollux were scattered about the room. Domitius seemed to see them for the first time. 'Get out,' he ordered them quietly. When they didn't respond, too shocked by the request. 'I said _get out!_' They hurriedly gathered their equipment after that. 'You too,' he said to Plutarch Heavensbee. 'Yes you, especially you.'

'Domitius,' Katniss began once the doors had closed behind them. Katniss had despised the cameras moments ago, but now they were gone, she recognised them for what they were: protection.

'Shut up, you stupid bitch,' Domitius replied.

Peeta started forward in swift fury, but Katniss held him back.

'I offered you the world on a platter. What else can you need? What does that baker's boy have that I don't? He's nothing. He'll live a baker, die a baker and no-one will care.'

'And you, Roe?' Peeta asked. 'What are you without your father? You can't inherit the title of senator, you know. And judging by the reason you're doing this ridiculous show in the first place, you're hardly going to make the friends you need to elect you as one when dear Daddy's reign of glory is over.'

'Careful, baker brat,' Roe hissed as he powered forward. 'I'm not going to play by Heavensbee's stupid rules anymore. I could mess you up right here, right now, and no-one would care. I bet I could kill you right now and my dad would find a way to cover it up.'

Peeta laughed. 'And how do you think you're going to kill me? I bet you couldn't even lift the silver spoon out of your mouth without breaking a sweat. And I'm not usually one to boast, but I could probably lift your scrawny ass over my head without a trouble.'

Katniss gaped at Peeta. 'Where is this sass coming from?'

'Spending too much time around you?' he suggested.

'Don't say that after we've been apart for a day.'

'A whole day. Don't tell me you're about to become one of those clingy girls.'

'Never. If anything, you'd be the clingy one, puppy-boy.'

Roe cleared his throat. 'I don't need to lift a finger to, er, subdue you,' he said. 'I've got guards for that.'

He did indeed. Four men, all taller than Peeta and burlier too, slid from their unobtrusive posts around the room and began to converge on them.

'You wouldn't,' Katniss said.

'I would.'

'On your lovely rug?'

'Blood is pretty hard to wash out,' Roe admitted.

'Do you really think I'd go straight over to you after I see the guy I…like a lot get beaten up by your command.'

'Yes, everyone has their price.'

'Not everyone thinks that way!'

'They don't think they do, but you don't know how you'd react to a jewel encrusted bow that can fire say ten arrows at a time.'

Katniss frowned. 'That isn't a thing.'

'It could be.'

'Even if it was possible, what would be the point of it? Arrows are all about precision aiming. With ten arrows…why am I even explaining this to you?'

'Imminent death approaching,' Peeta murmured from behind her.

Katniss wished she had her hunting equipment. She stepped out of her high-heeled boots. They would have to do as weapons.

The drums of death were beating. Katniss could hear them, far off but drawing closer. Peeta perked up and looked about quizzically. Domitius, by contrast, went very pale and very still.

'Shit,' he mumbled to himself, then he rose his voice to command. 'Stop,' he said to the house guards, 'just stop. Go back to your posts. Nothing happened here. And you two, go over there, sit down and shut up. I don't want to hear a word from you.'

So Katniss and Peeta wordlessly ignored him, running from the room and into the grand reception hall. Through the front windows, they could see a grand procession cut a path through the snow, a black car flanked doggedly by a party of drummers in matching red coats.

'The President,' Domitius murmured with a healthy dose of trained fear.

'For real?' Peeta mouthed at Katniss.

She shrugged in return and looked down at their clothes. At least they were presentable.

Two seemingly important men and their entourage emerged from the black car and continued the parade up the stairs. Next followed a ridiculous amount of security measures, pairs of security guards filing in, probing the area and validating that Katniss and Peeta weren't war-mongering rebels or something else to that farcical extreme.

Finally, President Snow and a man the Twelve residents could only assume was Domitius's father, swanned into the house. The President was a lot smaller in real life, though every inch the television added to his height was probably intentional. Otherwise, he looked surreally the same with his white hair and shrunken mouth and eyes that would have better suited a snake. It unmanned her to see him just metres away from her with no partition of glass between them. If she walked around him, she would see the back of his head. She had never seen the back of head. It sounded foolish, but after all the speeches she'd seen him deliver, she had almost begun to discount the fact that he would have one.

'Good heavens,' he said, looking coolly between the three teenagers, 'people.'

'Mr President, I'm so sorry.' Gaius Roe has a tendency toward plumpness, as most Capitolite males did, but he was well-groomed and looked nothing like his son, which ticked some boxes in Katniss's eyes. 'If you would like to head straight into the–'

'No, Gaius, I'm curious about this.'

'All right,' the senator enunciated carefully. 'Domitus, would you like to explain exactly what has happened here? Wait, is that the girl from Twelve? The one you were sending gifts to? You brought her _here?_ And who is that young man?'

'He's Peeta,' Katniss said hesitantly. 'He's from Twelve too. We were sort of abducted from there, actually.'

Even in the President's presence, Gaius felt the need to sigh heavily. 'Domitius, not again. You cannot simply kidnap people when you feel like it. You're as liable for my reputation as I am for yours, and so help me if you haven't caused enough damage to the Roe name already.'

'I had a reason. If you could just let me explain.'

'There is nothing to explain on your part. This is a house of the senate, not a shelter for district-born children. Where's Mr Heavensbee?'

'I don't know. I sent him away.'

'Find him and stay with him and listen to what he has to say for damn once.'

'But–'

'That is an order, son. It's that or I'll confirm your return to Capitol Star for the next season.'

Domitius growled and stalked away, searching in vain for something loose on the floor to kick at before he disappeared into the next room. Peeta and Katniss cheerfully watched him go.

'My deepest apologies for that, Mr President.'

'I've had teenagers too,' Snow said in a tone that was too empty for the personal, reassuring words. 'That is not the worst I have seen.'

Then both men turned to Katniss and Peeta, as if only just remembering that they were still there. Neither of them seemed to know what to do with them.

'Well, what are you waiting for?' Gaius said, after a while. 'Please vacate my premises.'

'But we have no way to get home,' Katniss told him.

'That isn't really my responsibility.'

'Then we'll just loiter about in your gardens until we starve or freeze to death then,' Peeta said. 'How benevolent of you, Senator.'

Gaius began to reconsider, but President Snow cut him to the chase with an impatient wave of my hand. 'For goodness' sake, Gaius. We have so many more important things to discuss here. Thirteen won't wait forever. The two of you, take my hovercraft home.'

The two adolescents should have been bowled over by this flippant form of generosity, but they were still bargaining.

'Can we have our coats back too?'

'And my scarf? It's the woolly orange one.'

By now, the two powerful politicians were too exasperated by these upstart teenagers to say no.

…

'So, I think I'm going to call Haymitch and tell him what happened,' Katniss shouted over the din of the drums that flanked their crawling car. 'I think he'll be able to tell us what legal action we could afford to take against this whole show fiasco.'

'Oh, is it "Haymitch" now? Should I be worried?'

Katniss hit him on the shoulder. 'Why would I come all the way from District Twelve for you if you needed to be worried? I could be propping my feet up at home right now, or out in the woods.'

'But instead, you're here with me, in an overheated car that reeks of roses and surrounded by a dozen overeager drummers.'

'Don't make me regret it.'

'Wouldn't dream of it.'

They curled up on the backseat until it was time to transfer to the hovercraft, breezing past the confounded security with a letter of authorisation from the President himself.

'I am…extremely tired,' Katniss realised as they strapped themselves in.

'You've come a long way, done a lot.'

'Don't you dare make that face at me.'

'What face?'

'The one where you're sorry for things you had no choice about.'

'Ah, I know the one. Still, you had to cross the whole of Panem to save my sorry butt.'

Katniss was too exhausted to listen to him try and heap more blame on himself. 'Shut up. It was worth it; you were worth it. End of story.'

Even though she had her eyes closed, she could feel his smile on her face in almost the same way she felt the sun. His hand twined with hers. 'Next thing I know you'll be saying that you love me or something,' Peeta joked.

Katniss tried to throw his hand off, but only once. Then she let their joined hands hang between them and clasp ever tighter. 'No,' she said. _Not yet._

'All right,' Peeta said good-naturedly and brought her hand up to kiss.

'What are you doing?' she mumbled.

'Wearing down your defences.'

'I see.'

Peeta waited for a prudent amount of time. 'Is it working?'

Katniss paused to think before a slow, satisfied grin spread across her face. She could feel Peeta poised next to her, awaiting her diagnosis.

'Hmm, give it another twelve years.'

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>So there it is, the end, everything all wrapped up with a neat little bow. I guess the only thing left to say now is: thank you to everyone who followed this story through until its conclusion. Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays and a happy new year.


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